Shifter
by BandGeekDrummer
Summary: Captain America gets a new partner. A shifter who can turn into a dog. This new Avenger has had quite a past and his roots are unknown. But maybe one of the Avengers knows where he came from? Drama, fluffy friendship and action all rolled into one adventure. Includes all the Avengers plus Coulson. *REVAMPING*
1. Chapter 1

A/N updated: 10/27 I decided to revamp this story so I'll start from the beginning and replace the new edited chapters. Thank you everyone!

A/N: A little back story before we begin. I decided to just keep it short because I wanted to see how people reacted to it and fully intend on continuing. I haven't written anything in a long time, so please be nice. I appreciate critiques though. I don't have a Beta yet. DISCLAIMER. I don't own any of the characters that Marvel created.

Agent Gunnar Wells is a shifter that got picked up by Shield as a puppy/baby. He turns into a Chocolate German Shepard. His age is early 20's and his abilities include: tracking, incredible strength, healing quickly, and overall durability. I don't want to spoil too much of the later story, but Captain America is his new handler and partner.

_Sir, Agent Coulson has arrived. He has brought a guest with them. Shall I do a security scan?_

"No need J." Tony replied.

_As you wish sir._

Steve Rogers had been pacing the penthouse level of the Avengers Tower. He was excited and anxious to meet his new assignment.

"You're getting a new partner there, Stars and Stripes? It can't be all that bad. You actually play nice with others..."

"This is different Stark."

"Well he is dog... man... thing. How will that work, Cap? Do you have to pick up his poop or is he trained to use a toilet...?" Tony said while smirking.

Steve sent a glare towards Tony that could compete with the genius' lasers.

Agent Coulson and Wells walked through the elevator doors into the entryway.

It was plain to see that this new situation was not thrilling Wells. Not only had he been "recruited" by S.H.I.E.L.D. without a choice (mostly because he was basically born into it), he was taken away from what he had known all his life. His previous handlers had trained with him since he was a puppy, and he didn't know anyone else. He knew as an Agent he was expected to handle stress and new situations, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. Now he was here in Avengers Tower wondering what happened to his life.

"I'm Steve Rogers and this is the infamous Tony Stark. Nice to meet you." Steve said and stuck out his hand towards Gunnar.

"Agent Gunnar Wells. But you can just call me Wells." He replied dryly. He shook Steve's hand firmly.

"I'm sure you two will get along. This situation wasn't ideal but I have faith you will work it out." Coulson stated.

Steve noticed there was some sort of electronic armband around Agent Well's arm and looked at Tony to see if he saw it. Tony made eye contact with Steve to signal that he also saw it as well. He was hoping that Tony knew what it was or could figure it out for him because electronics weren't really his thing.

"What is that?" Tony asked pointing at the arm band.

Steve cleared his throat towards Tony for being so forward.

"It's a suppressor. I can't shift to my other form when it's activated. Apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks I'm dangerous." Wells explained.

Steve's eyes grew a bit wide as he looked at Agent Coulson. They were in for an adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: 10/30 New revamped chapter as of now! Thank you for anyone following still. I'm a lot happier with this and it won't be too different until later chapters. This chapter is mostly just tweaks and little edits. Nothing too important yet.

Later in the day, Bruce, Natasha and Clint had made their way to the tower. They were curious to see (and judge) the newest edition.

"There's a lot of research showing that those types of suppressors are dangerous and unhealthy." Bruce told the group.

"Well we don't have much of a choice. S.H.I.E.L.D. has demanded it for the time being." Clint replied.

"I don't understand. I read on his file that he's been under S.H.I.E.L.D. for almost his entire life. How could they not trust him? It doesn't make sense..." Steve said.

Tony snickered "I'm proud of you Cap. You finally figured out how to hack S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Actually Fury gave it to me." Steve shot back.

"Damn. For a second I thought you did something cool." Tony scoffed. "So we don't get to see Bingo, huh? Well that's disappointing."

Natasha rolled her eyes at Stark's remark. "Is that all you care about?"

What? We only get to see the Hulk shift. And we all know what happens after that..." Tony said.

"Maybe we can talk to Fury. Maybe there's a way we can get him to take them off since we're all here." Steve said while walking down the hall.

As Steve walked down the hall he overheard a retching sound in the bathroom. Steve lingered outside the door, hesitating at first but ended up knocking.

"Hey Wells. You alright in there?" He yelled through the door.

"Just peachy... Side effects of the suppressors..." He threw up more mid sentence.

"Alright. Well... Let me know if you need anything." Steve said.

"Roger that Captain." He replied slowly trying to catch his breath. Gunnar could feel the sweat forming across his back as he lowered his forehead against the cold porcelain. His body trembled as he spit into the toilet. He felt embarrassed to be sitting in Tony Stark's beautiful modern guest bathroom throwing up.

Steve being the head of his team, worried about his new partner. He had only been here for an afternoon and he was wondering how the suppressors would affect his training. It would definitely make learning each other's fighting skills much more difficult if Wells couldn't live up to his potential.

Steve walked back to the common area where the discussion of the others had changed to dinner plans.

"I don't think Well's will be joining us for dinner." Steve said.

"Why? What's going on back there?" Tony looked down the hall frantically. "He better not be lifting a leg on my furniture!"

Natasha huffed "Stark. Seriously?"

"Pizza it is then." Stark decided.

"Hey Tony? You got any apple juice or ginger ale? Maybe some saltines?" Steve asked.

"Check the fridge. Something should be in there." Tony replied.

"Thanks." Steve walked down the corridor past a couple more highly decorated rooms and entered the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed the apple juice, then went to the cupboard and grabbed a cup. He walked back to the sleeping quarters and found Gunnar sitting on the floor next to his bed unpacking his issued S.H.I.E.L.D. bag.

"Hey I brought you some apple juice. We ordered some pizzas and you're welcome to join, but I understand if you don't feel up to it." Steve explained as he put the juice and cup on the desk.

"Thanks. I think I'll just stick to the drink. Can you shut the door on your way out?" said Wells.

Steve could tell he was on a mission to get organized. Every move he made while folding his clothes was meticulous and accurate. He didn't even look up when Steve came in.

Alright, well... If you need anything, I'm the next door down, and Jarvis is always on standby. He could probably answer more of your questions than I could." Steve said awkwardly as he walked out.

"Okay then." He said quietly shut the door.

When Gunnar heard Steve's footsteps down the hall, he paused what he was doing and pulled out the framed photo that was at the bottom of the bag. He placed it on the nightstand next to his bunk.

"I miss you Ava." He said to himself and climbed into his bed.


	3. Chapter 3

NOTE: Thanks for reading everyone! I see I have captured the attention of a couple people. That's so awesome. I'm excited for this chapter because it will have a bit more backstory and explain a part of his past. If anyone is confused so far feel free to ask in a review or PM me.

THE FOLLOWING DAY

Steve woke up thinking about the previous days events. After he shut Gunnar's door, he didn't see him the rest of the evening. He wanted this to work out. His abilities would definitely contribute to the team and be a valuable asset. He also thought it would be great PR to have a dog by his side. Kids would love an All American duo and trust them.  
>He was nervous to start training, but Steve loved teamwork.<p>

Gunnar walked out of his quarters looking a bit disheveled and smelling a little ripe. He made his way to one of the guest bathrooms. At least he was feeling better. The nausea wasn't as bad, but then again his stomach was completely empty. After he cleaned up, he walked into the kitchen.

"Oh hey Wells. I had some medical questions to ask you, only if thats okay with you. We can do it in private if you would like that better." Bruce said with a kind tone.

"Sure thats fine. Where do you wanna go?" Wells asked while grabbing a couple slices of bread and placing them in the toaster.

"We could go to the study? Most of my notes are in there. And the couches are really comfortable." Bruce explained. "It's up one floor. The others don't go up there that often. It's my quiet space."

"Alright." Wells stated simply.

"I'm gonna go up there now and get my notes together. I'll let you get some breakfast and meet you up there in 15-20 minutes? Just take the elevator and turn right. You can't miss it. I'll try to make this as quick as possible. I promise." Bruce said calmly.

"Got it. See you in a bit." He replied.

Bruce nodded and left quickly with his coffee.

Gunnar wasn't thrilled about talking to Bruce about his medical file but it was better to just get it over with. He wasn't a huge people person but at least he wasn't as abrasive as Tony.

After Gunnar was finished eating his toast and juice, he was about to walk out of the kitchen when he turned around and Natasha was standing right there. Gunnar jumped and almost lost his balance.

"Sorry Wells. Didn't mean to scare you." She said.

"I guess it's pretty natural for you. Being an assassin and all. Once I get these suppressors off, I'll be able to hear and smell you from other side of the building." He said with a smirk and then left the kitchen before she could reply.

Gunnar made his way up to the next floor where Bruce said he would be. The study was grand. All of the walls were covered in bookshelves and a main desk was in the center of the room, along with couches surrounding it. He saw Bruce hovering over the desk reading something. Gunnar sat down at the nearest couch and Bruce looked up from his work.

"Lets get started, shall we? Now, I was reading in your file, which by the way is very impressive. I hope you don't mind that Fury gave it to Steve and I." Bruce said.

"It's not like I can control what Fury does with the information on his Agents, so I guess I can't mind..." Wells replied.

"It says here you've had these so called suppressors since... Oh." Bruce said the last part quietly.

"You can say it Bruce." Wells said as he looked away.

"Since your handler, Agent Ava Procopio was killed in the line of duty 3 months ago." Bruce replied solemnly.

"Yes." Wells stated.

"What happened with your other handler? It says your were assigned to a Lena Procopio as well? They were sisters?" Bruce asked.

"They were yes. Lena requested a transfer from being my handler. She is assigned to another job at Shield now." He said stoically. "She couldn't handle it anymore."

"And that happened 2 months ago?" Bruce asked.

"Yes." Wells replied.

"I'm sorry..." Bruce said.

"What was your next question?" Wells said trying to change the subject.

"Right. What symptoms are you having from the suppressors?"

"Headaches, fatigue, restlessness and nausea." Said Wells.

As Bruce jotted down notes, he saw Wells clench his fists together out of the corner of his eye. He noticed he was starting to grow uncomfortable.

"Why did they decide to do this to you? It says here in your file that there was a ...mishap?...on the weekend after Agent Procopio requested a different assignment." Bruce said confusedly.

Wells just sighed. "I don't want the others to know."

"This is confidential. Between only you and me." Bruce said with confidence.

"Well..." He sighed again. "It wasn't my shining moment... After I had found out that Agent Procopio was leaving, I got extremely inebriated and shifted. I attacked another Shield agent. Fortunately nobody was badly injured. So that is why I'm on a "probation" of sorts. Like I said, not my best moment." Wells explained.

"It'll stay between you and me. You've answered all of my questions, so you are free to go." Bruce said.

As Wells was leaving the study he turned around and said: "I know it looks bad, but we made a really good team. I promise nothing like that happen again. I won't get attached this time." He said coldly.


	4. Chapter 4

NOTE: Hi followers and new readers. Heres a new chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it. I'm still feeling a bit rusty with writing. Its been since 2007 since I've published, and it is my first Avengers fic. I've had this idea for about 3 months and finally got around to putting it on paper. Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it! :)

After Wells got done with talking to Dr. Banner, he decided he really needed to vent. He remembered Tony saying something about a training room below the living quarters. When he got on the elevator, he pushed the button that would take him to the level below where everyone else was. He didn't feel like being social and hoped nobody else had the same idea of working out. As the elevator came to a stop and dinged, the doors opened to a dim open room. He was about to find a light switch when he stepped out onto the floor, but the lights came on automatically. He wasn't surprised due to the fact it was Stark. Of course he put in sensors.

He walked over to the benches and looked along the wall. There were labeled lockers. Barton, Banner, Rogers, Romanoff, Stark and... Wells. Wells? He walked over to it and opened it up. Inside was a bunch of workout gear, boxing gloves and wraps, a couple water bottles, towels and... a dog bowl. "Very funny, Stark." He thought. He grabbed the hand wraps and started dressing his hands. He did a few stretches and started pounding away at the nearest punching bag. He could tell he was going to get tired easily because of the suppressors, but overall he felt good. The nausea had ceased for now and he wasn't dizzy.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but was now drenched in sweat and wheezing. He collapsed on the mats and laid down while he sucked on the water bottle. The suppressors were chafing his arms and he could feel the skin becoming red and raw underneath the metal. The sweat made it itchy and uncomfortable.

"Nice work."

Gunnar's thoughts were interrupted by Natasha who had been standing there for a few minutes, watching Wells lay on the floor.

Gunnar jumped up as fast as his body would let him.

"Thanks. Its all I can do with these suppressor's on. I can't really train right now..." He said.

"I knew her you know. Your handler, Agent Procopio. Ava, I mean. We did some training back when we were fairly new to Shield. She was a really good Agent. And friend. Always had my back..." She said.

"Yeah, she was quite the Agent. She was the responsible one. Always kept me on a short leash." Gunnar said with a smirk. He loved that pun.

"I didn't mean to drag any pain up. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry and she was special to a lot of people." She turned to leave.

"Thanks. Hey Natasha?" He asked.

"Yes?" She turned back and looked at him.

"I'm always up for a spar." He replied.

"I'm sure you are." She said while giving him a small smirk. She walked back into the elevator and left.

Gunnar laid back on the mat and exhaled deeply. His stomach then rumbled and he decided he would run on the treadmill for a bit and then go eat. He walked over to the machine and set it for a mid paced run. After about 15 minutes of running, he got a wave of dizziness and tripped on the front plastic of machine. He fell hard and didn't have time to grab the rail. The belt slid him off the treadmill and he got flung to the floor. He tried to stretch out but the pain in his shoulder wouldn't allow it. He laid for what seemed to be a half an hour or so in a haze, fighting the urge to black out.

"Jarvis. Alert Dr. Banner. Please."

_Yes Agent Wells. He will be notified immediately. Shall I report your vital signs?_

"Yeah... please. It hurts."

_Very Well. Dr. Banner has been notified and is on his way. Can I do anything else?_

Gunnar blacked out because of the pain. He didn't know how long he had been out but when he woke up, Bruce was kneeling over him tending to his shoulder and Natasha, Clint and Steve were standing nearby with worried looks on there facing.

Gunnar started feeling the excruciating pain.

"Please, take the suppressors off! I can heal if you do. Please, I'm begging you. It hurts so badly." He was starting to drift in and out again.

"Wells, your shoulder is dislocated. Stop moving, it's making it worse." Bruce explained.

Gunnar refused to stop struggling. "Please. Take them off. I can heal if you do. I need to heal. Please!" He yelled.

"Bruce he's in pain. Maybe we should." Steve said worriedly.

"We have our orders. Fury said they don't come off." Clint sternly replied.

"Cap, please." Gunnar's eyes pleaded. "I can heal and then you can put them back on." Wells desperately asked.

"Barton's right. We have our orders." He said solemnly. "I'm sorry."

Gunnar growled and mustered all his strength and yanked his body away from Bruce's reach.

"Wells! What the hell are you doing?!" Steve exclaimed.

"I don't need help from any of you!" He yelled. Then a wave of pain overwhelmed him and he passed out.

"Steve, help me lift him, Natasha can you keep his arm elevated so theres no pressure? We need to keep it still while we transport him to the infirmary." Bruce said quickly. They lifted him and got him on the elevator as a group.

After they had arrived on the floor with the infirmary, they quickly got him on a gurney and Bruce started working on him.

Gunnar woke up several hours later to Bruce quietly working on a computer in the corner of the room.  
>He must have reset his shoulder and gave him pain medication because he felt like he was floating. He noticed Steve was also in the room. He was sitting in a chair with his head resting against the wall and eyes closed.<p>

Gunnar felt loopy and he quietly said: "Bruce...?"

Bruce looked up from what he was working on and got up. He made his way over to Gunnar and checked all the vitals on the computer next to him.

"Are you in any pain?"

"Where's Ava? They said she would be in surgery? I didn't mean to let the board fall." He mumbled.

Bruce didn't understand the words coming out of the younger agents mouth. He took it as a hint that the meds were working well.

"Go back to sleep. It's okay. You're okay." He tried to sooth him.

"AVAAAAAA! Where are youuu!" He yelled.

Steve shot awake due to Gunnar yelling. He got up and walked over to the other two. Bruce was trying to calm him down while getting a sedative ready.

"Let me try to calm him down before you give him that." Steve asked. He didn't want his partner to be more drugged than he already was.

"Alright. If he doesn't, I'll be forced to sedate him." Bruce said.

"Gunnar, Gunnar you need to calm down. Hey, look at me." Steve said calmly.

"Where's Agent Procopio?! Wheres my partner?! Tell me now?!" Wells yelled.

"Who am I, Agent Wells?" Steve asked.

Gunnar stopped flailing with his good arm and legs and looked at Captain for a few seconds and realized where he was.

"Steve." He said as he calmed down.

"Good. Now, do you remember what happened?" Steve asked.

"I... I... Fell off the treadmill and hurt my shoulder." He remembered. "And you wouldn't take the suppressors off." He glared. He rolled over onto his good shoulder and started breathing normally again. He started to fade back into sleep, and Steve turned to Bruce.

"I hope he can forgive me. We have orders to follow. I couldn't disobey Fury." Steve quietly explained.

"Cap. Sometimes rules were mean't to be broken. But he's not my partner, he's yours. You get the final say... But in my opinion, I would have yanked them off then and there." Bruce said and then walked back to what he was doing before.

Steve retreated back to his chair and rested his head into the same position it was before. He had a feeling that he had made a mistake, and it would cost this new partnership some trust.


	5. Chapter 5

A WEEK LATER:

Gunnar had mostly kept to himself after he had gotten the okay from Bruce to resume normal activities. He was still restricted from training until his shoulder was done healing properly but he was no longer on intense pain meds. His arm remained in a sling and as long as the pressure was off, he wasn't in much pain. The members of the team let him have his alone time but he started being a bit more social during meals and meetings.

Steve noticed that everyone was slowly bonding with Gunnar, except himself. He still barely talked to him and stayed away as much as possible. Steve was starting to get frustrated with the situation, but he knew he couldn't give up only after 2 weeks. Bruce was helping him with the effects of the suppressors, Natasha and Clint liked discussing tactics with him, and Tony was designing a suit that could stretch when he shifted from human to dog and conform to his body. (He had a bulletproof vest with the Shield logo on it but his partners put it on him when he shifted to dog. He also worked mostly as a fire and rescue agent so he didn't need anything like Tony was building him.)

Steve had been chowing down on a bowl of cereal before his morning workout. It was 6 am and he heard the ding of the elevator. He poked his head out of the kitchen doorway and saw Agent Coulson. His eyebrows furrowed. It was strange for this man to be here this early and he wasn't expecting him. Coulson made eye contact with him and walked through the entry way and made his way over to Steve. By the looks of his body language, it was serious.

"Captain. I need to talk to Agent Barton and Agent Wells. Its urgent."

"Whats happening? Do we need to assemble? Is there a mission?" Steve replied.

"Theres no mission. But I need to talk to them first before the information gets out." Coulson quickly responded.

"I haven't seen either this morning. I can ask Jarvis to alert them immediately." Steve said.

"Yes. Please."

10 minutes later...

"Coulson whatever you want, it better be important. It's too early to be rudely awaken by Jarvis." Wells said as he strode out wearing sweats and an old t shirt.

Agent Barton wasn't far behind and as soon as the four of them were standing together in the common area, Coulson asked Steve to leave for a few minutes and go get some coffee for him.

"Thanks Captain." Coulson said as Steve walked back into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry for the early morning disruption. I called you both in here because I would like both of you to hear this from me, and not another Shield Agent. This news is mostly for Wells, but I know Barton worked with her too. I'm sorry, but Agent Lena Procopio was found dead this morning in her room in the Virginia Shield base barracks. There was a note. I will have her personal effects sent over after they are done being processed through the system."

Gunnar just dropped to the nearest chair. He looked at the floor. He didn't want to make eye contact with Clint.

Clint kept his composure. He had only worked with her a few times.

"Agent Wells, are you okay?" Coulson asked quietly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." As soon as he collected his thoughts he stood back up. He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

Steve slowly walked back in the room and felt the heaviness of the conversation. He handed Coulson a mug of coffee and stayed.

"Thanks for telling us first Coulson." Clint said to break the tension. "Is that all you needed from me?"

"Yes Clint, thats all. Wells, can you stay here with Captain and I for a few more minutes?" He asked.

Wells nodded, but didn't talk. Clint patted Wells on the back and returned to his quarters.

Coulson took Steve aside and shared the news quietly.

Steve was about to say something to Wells when Tony came through the elevator yelling at his tablet. He had grease on his arms and face and dark circles under his eyes. He was making a beeline for the kitchen we he looked up and saw Coulson standing with Steve and Gunnar.

"Why are you all standing here staring at each other this early in the morning? What happened? Was Wells a bad dog and chew up your outdated shoes, Cap?" Tony remarked.

Nobody answered and Tony briskly walked to the kitchen to retrieve his coffee and came back to where everyone else was. "Coulson, what ARE you doing here?" He asked.

"Unfortunately I brought bad news." Coulson replied. "I'll tell you later."

Tony just shrugged and took his coffee back down the elevator to his lab.

"Wells, I know you've had a few tough months..." Coulson said.

Gunnar scoffed. "You could say that."

"I want you to know that your new team is there for you. They all have bad pasts in one way or another. I would like you to use them and their experiences to help you. They're good people. Especially your partner here. He's a good guy and I know you can take care of each other." Coulson told Wells.

Wells was fighting back the tears and kept his stoic and calm face. His throat was dry and all he could croak out was "okay."

He stood up and looked at the two older men standing in front of him.

"When can I get these off?" He pointed to his wrists.

"Right now." He motioned him to come over. "But you have to promise me, you won't do anything stupid and you'll talk to someone if you have any issues." Coulson said in a caring way. Gunnar didn't know his parents, and he had grown up under Coulson's wing. He was the closest person he had to a father figure.

He took his arms one by one and typed the codes to release the suppressors. As soon as they were off, he rubbed his aching wrists. A weight was lifted. He knew it would take a day or two to readjust and get his full strength back.

"Now that you don't have these, I wanted to make sure you know that you are still going to be under supervision. I have told everyone to keep an eye on you. I just don't want to lose another great asset. You mean a lot to this agency." He put his hand on Wells uninjured shoulder and looked at him intently. "Take care of yourself. I'll check back in 72 hours."

Coulson handed his empty coffee cup to Steve and started walking towards the elevator. He stopped, turned around and came back to Wells. "I forgot." He reached into his jacket pocket and handed him an envelope with "Gunnar" written on it.

Coulson turned around once more and left.

Gunnar stood there holding the letter in his hand. "I think I'm gonna go back to sleep. If thats okay." He said to Steve.

"That's fine. I'll be down in the gym if you need me. And Wells, I mean it. If you need anything at all, I'm here." He said kindly.

"Thanks Cap." He said sadly. He walked back down the hall to his  
>room. He shut the door and slid down against the wall. He threw the letter across the room and cried silently.<p>

NOTE: thanks for reading! Next chapter will be about the funeral and first transformation of Gunnar! It will be exciting, so please stay tuned. I will try to get it up with in the next 36 hours. :)


	6. Chapter 6

NOTE: As promised, here is the next chapter! :) Again I want to thank everyone for continuing to read my story. This bit gets a bit angsty, but after this chapter, the plot will get lighter for a bit.  
>-<p>

The next few days blurred by for Gunnar. The team seemed to not allow him any peace except for when he used the restroom and went to bed, in which he never slept, but just laid restlessly. His stamina and energy level had returned to normal and the lingering effects of the suppressors wore off completely. His shoulder had healed within the first 2 hours of being free and he was ready to resume real training again.

It was now 72 hours after he had heard the news about Lena. He felt empty on the inside. The letter that Coulson brought him was still on the floor of his room where he had flung it and never bothered to retrieve it. He was laying down on his bed on his back when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" He yelled.

Steve opened the door and stood in the entry to his room awkwardly.  
>"I wanted to see if you were awake. The funeral is in an hour. We all decided we should go. I hope you don't mind."<p>

"It's not my funeral." He said dryly as he sat up. Steve could see the dark bags under his eyes and knew he probably didn't sleep much last night.

"Well, we wanted to pay our respects to a fellow Agent. I think its appropriate we support you." Steve replied. "We're meeting in the common area in 15 minutes." He said and with that shut the door.

Gunnar got up and showered. He put on a black suit, black shirt with a solid black tie. He left out his gym clothes and put his running shoes ready to go on the floor next to his bed. He knew he would want to vent after this event and the faster he could get out of his formal clothes and into something he could run in, the better.

He arrived in the common area a little later and saw his housemates dressed similar to himself.

45 MINUTES LATER:

They arrived at the cemetery and all got out of the limo. It was a beautiful setting. It looked more like a park than a burial ground. There were rows of cherry blossom trees and it was tucked outside of the city. It was cold, even for a fall day and Gunnar shuddered as the wind whipped by.

It was a quiet funeral. A small group of agents were waiting and they all came up to Wells to pay their respects. There were several pictures on giant easels at one end of the casket. Her official Shield picture, a candid one of her and her sister Ava, and one that broke everyone's heart to see. It was a picture of Lena, Ava and Gunnar, dressed in their Search and Rescue gear, cheesing at the camera. Gunnar looked squished in between the two sisters and they looked happy. Steve recognized the photo. He had seen it on the nightstand next to Gunnar's bed.

Gunnar stood next to Steve and the rest of the team during the service. He didn't flinch once. After the speaker was finished everyone put a rose on top of the casket. Gunnar went first. He still did not show any emotion. After the service was done and the casket was lowered, Gunnar immediately walked back to the limo and got in. Bruce looked at Steve and mentally communicated that Gunnar's reaction was not a good one, even if he had remained calm.

AN HOUR LATER:

Back at the Avengers Tower, Gunnar practically ran through the garage, impatiently waited in the elevator, and took off for his room like a bat out of hell. He raced to get out of his clothes, not even bothering to shut the door. Steve was not far behind and yelled his name a couple times trying to keep up but Gunnar ignored him.

By the time Steve got to the entrance of his room, Gunnar was standing in his boxer shorts. Being naked after a transformation, he had learned not to be shy about his body. Steve turned his head down when he saw him. "That was fast... What are you doing Wells?" He asked while his head was turned another way. "Changing. Obviously. Can't run in formal wear." He replied. He pulled a shirt over his head and stepped into warm up pants. As soon as his shoes were on he fast walked past Steve out of his room.

"Wells! Where do you think you're going?" Steve demanded and lunged forward to grab Gunnar back.

"For a run. Do you have a problem with that?" He said impatiently.

"How long are you going to be gone?" Steve asked.

"I'm not sure, Mother." Gunnar growled.

"I don't like your attitude. You have been nothing but cold to me since you got here. You talk to everyone but me and I'm suppose to be your partner." He said raising his voice.

"You don't like my attitude? Well sorry Captain Spangles. But I just lost the only family I had. I'm sorry if you are feeling left out." He spat.

"All I'm asking is for you to communicate. That's it... I'm sorry." He lowered his voice back down. Clearly yelling and losing his temper  
>was getting him nowhere.<p>

"Please. Just let me go. I need my space..." He also quieted down. "I promise, I will work on it when I get back, but I'm about to go crazy if I spend one more moment in this tower. I promise I'll come back."

"Just be safe, okay?" Steve said worriedly. "I'm holding you to this."

"Thank you." He said. Steve finally felt the sincerity of his voice and believed him.

Gunnar ran down the hallway and into the elevator.

Once he got outside of the tower, he put the ear buds in his ears, turned on his iPod and took off down the street.

6 HOURS LATER:

"Where could he be?! Who runs for 6 hours!?" Steve exclaimed while pacing the common area.

"Cap, calm down. You're going to burn a hole in the carpet. I'm sure he's fine." Natasha said.  
>She and Clint were spread out on the floor cleaning their weapons. Bruce was sitting in an arm chair reading and Tony was designing his latest suit on the tablet in his lap. After such a weary event, they decided each others company would be comforting. Even in silence and doing various activities they all seemed to be at ease in each others company.<p>

"It's not exactly warm out and the sun went down a couple hours ago. I told him to be safe. That does not count as safe." Steve replied.

"And he's not a child. He can handle himself." She reassured him.

Steve sighed and just as he was about to sit down, the elevator door dinged. He jumped up and watched the doors intently, but what he saw was not what he expected.

A grown chocolate colored German Shepard appeared and trotted over to where everyone was. Tony's bottom jaw dropped.

"Wells...?" Steve said slowly.

Gunnar barked as if he was responding.

"Well, I'll be damned." Tony laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

NOTE: Well, we have now hit chapter 7! I'm pretty happy with how it's going right now. I am a bit worried because it's been over a week since I published the first chapter and I still haven't gotten a single review or critique. I'm kind of getting worried. I would really like to know what people thought so far. I just want to make you guys, the readers happy while still staying on track with what I imagined. Anyway, thank you followers that have shown interest. It means a lot to me, truly. :)

Gunnar was sitting, head cocked and intently looking at Steve.

"You can't talk when you're in dog form, can you?" Steve asked looking down at his now furry partner.

He let out a single whine.

"Well bud, you can understand me, right?" Steve asked again.

Gunnar let out a bark and wagged his tail back and forth.

"He's a good looking pooch." Bruce walked over to Gunnar and pet his head. "Super muscular... Not in a weird way." He said while blushing.

"I know what you meant Banner. He's a sturdy lookin' fella." Steve replied.

"You do know you just pet a dude's head right?" Tony remarked. "This is getting weird."

Gunnar growled at Tony.

"Yes I'm so afraid. Growl some more." Tony sarcastically replied.

Gunnar turned his head towards the couch and happily leaped up.

"Hey! No paws on the leather!" He yelled.

Gunnar ignored his command and put his head on his paws, looking up innocently at Steve.

Clint and Natasha silently walked down the hall to their quarters without saying goodnight.

"You wanna come back to human form so we could talk?" Steve said while sitting in the chair opposite from the couch.

"Well as exciting as this is, I think I'll head back down to the lab. Bruce, you wanna join me?" Tony said.

"Sure, why not." Bruce replied. He didn't want to put up a fight and listen to Tony whine about how much more fun the lab was with him.

And with that, Steve and Gunnar were alone in the common area.

"You wanna go back to your room and get into some clothes and then come back out here and talk?" Steve asked hopefully.

Gunnar looked at Steve, looked down the hallway toward his room and then looked back at Steve. He jumped off the couch, ran down the hallway and returned in human form 5 minutes later.

"Hey. So. Now you have seen the other side of me." Gunnar said shyly.

"Yeah. How was your run? Did you clear your head?" Steve asked calmly.

"Yeah, it was good. Thanks for letting me get out for a bit." Gunnar said.

This was the first time Wells had talked to him without short, cold answers. He was feeling good about how it was good.

"Your welcome. How does training in the morning sound? See what your dog side has got?" Steve asked.

"Sounds fine to me."

Steve could tell the conversation was starting to drift awkwardly.

"You want to talk about anything? I know today must have been hard. I don't want to push you...but I can relate. I know what its like to lose everything and be in a completely different place, all alone." Steve said.

Gunnar paused and looked at Steve.

"Ava and Lena are-we're, the only family I had. I don't know my parents, my heritage, my people. If there is anyone else like me... I don't even know if there is. I didn't have a choice on joining Shield. I got recruited and that was that. It's all I know. You have to understand, I don't mean to be distant. But I have to protect myself. I can't get attached to any of you. Especially you." Gunnar said.

"I know it hurts. But you have to trust me. I'm strong and we could make a really amazing team if you just let me in. We could do a lot of good in this world."

"Lets just take this one day at a time." Wells said as he got off the couch.

"I can agree with that." He said. "0700 gym for training?"

"See you down there." Gunnar replied.

Steve looked down towards the floor. "Roger that."

"Thanks Cap. For making me talk." Gunnar said sincerely and walked down the hall.

Steve got up out of his chair and went into the kitchen to grab a coffee and then went down to the lab to check on Bruce and Tony. Those two together could get dangerous.

I know it was a short chapter, but I promise there will be a longer one next. It's just how it ended up. Next up will be a training scene! Hope everyone enjoyed it. :)


	8. Chapter 8

NOTE: OMGGG. I got two reviews. That made my night. I feel so happy that I'm making my readers interested. Thank you so so so much! As promised, here's the next installment. I tried to explain the training in this chapter as best as I could, and understand if things aren't as clear as they could be. It was challenging to describe. If there are any questions, I am always available to clear anything up.

THE NEXT MORNING:

Steve and Natasha were stretching out on the mats in the gym. It was almost 0700. Clint had gotten called out on a mission a couple hours before, and Bruce didn't participate in the hand to hand combat they were about to begin. So they were waiting on Tony and Gunnar to arrive. Tony was excited to put Gunnar through the combat simulator. It was a glass room with a viewing area where they could watch and critique. Tony could have Jarvis put them through any obstacle or situation. He had designed a few just for agent Wells.

Gunnar and Tony walked into the gym and joined the other two. Gunnar stretched his arms and back out and jumped up and down a few times, getting pumped up. Steve could see the determination and fire in his eyes. He was ready to get down to business.

"Wells. Your up first. You ready for this?" Steve asked as he opened up the glass door to the sim room.

"I guess we'll find out." He replied.

Tony took out the tablet and a holograph with charts of statistics popped up.

Gunnar morphed into his dog form and they all watched with amazement. He jogged into the room and circled around the center a few times, emitting a low growl. Steve shut the door and the lights dimmed in the sim room.

"Tony can you run him through a scent search? I want him to get a scent and see how long it takes him to find it." Steve said. Tony typed on his tablet and a few seconds later, several compartments shot out of the wall and Jarvis announced the instructions. As soon as the timer dinged, Gunnar ran along the side of the boxes with his head low. He found it which box had the scent he was suppose to find and started barking ferociously towards it. Tony made Jarvis repeat this 3 more times. Gunnar was lightning fast and blew through the projected times.

Gunnar barked towards Steve like he wanted something harder. Tony then shot fake mortars out of the walls and had Gunnar dodge them. He completed this quickly also and dodged everything Tony threw at him. Natasha looked at Steve with an impressed look on her face.

The last simulation was jumping. Blocks shot up at various heights and he had to retrieve the back pack on the top block. It went up fairly high and the blocks would slide back in and out of the wall at various times. It would be a bit dangerous if he messed up at all. Gunnar didn't hesitate for a second. It only took a few minutes for him to retrieve the back pack. He grabbed it with his mouth and made his way back to firm ground without missing a beat. Steve was definitely impressed.

The lights came back on in the simulation room and Steve opened the door. Gunnar walked out, sat in front of Tony and wagged his tail.

"That was impressive Wells." Steve said.

Tony brought over a mesh bag from the bench. He pulled out four black booties with traction on the bottom and straps going up.

"These, I designed for traction and protection. It will make it easier in combat and provide traction to be launched off of Cap's Shield. It will also protect your feet... paws... from anything you run on." Tony showed them.

"Thats awesome Stark." Steve said.

"So I got a list of commands, I figured we should practice them and if one of you wants to get in the bite suit, your welcome. He's stronger than the average dog, so we needed to have a special training suit. More protective than your normal police dog bite suit." Steve explained.

"Too bad Barton isn't here. I would make him get in it." Tony snickered.

"I think you should get in it Stark." Steve laughed.

"I'd love to see that..." Natasha smiled.

2 HOURS LATER:

They went through different commands and Gunnar completed everything at a remarkable pace. They also started getting comfortable giving said commands. Steve was blown away at this point. He could see how having him in search and rescue would be valuable and he felt lucky to have him as his partner. He knew he could make a difference being with the Avengers.

"Alright guys, I think we wore him out. Good job. Lets get upstairs, shower and have a team meeting while we get chow. Thor will be here in the next day or so. We need to introduce him to Wells." Steve said.

The four of them got on the elevator and headed up to the living area. They all headed to their respective rooms except for Gunnar. He sprawled out on the living room floor and put his feet up in the air. 10 minutes later he started rubbed his back against the rug. Tony came back first and saw him.

"Seriously!? Agent Wells, I will not have you rubbing your body all over my clean house. I demand you go back to your human form." Stark informed the dog.

Gunnar sat up and cocked his head to one side.

"Don't act like you don't understand what I'm saying." He replied.

Gunnar barked and ran back to the elevator. He jumped up on his back two legs to press his nose against the button to take him to Dr. Banner's study upstairs. He trotted into the room and saw Bruce hovered over a stack of paper and computer. He rubbed his face tiredly and saw him. Gunnar came over to where he was sitting and rested his chin on the arm of his chair.

"Hey Wells." He said with defeat in voice.

Gunnar whined and nudged Bruce's arm a few times. Bruce gave the fur on his head a ruffle and smiled. He could now confirm animals were therapeutic. It was nice to have someone not talk and judge after hanging around Tony for so long.

Jarvis called them over the intercom that they were needed in the kitchen for lunch and a team meeting.

Gunnar barked and wagged his tail as Bruce got out of his chair. Bruce went down to the kitchen and Gunnar went back to his room to morph and put clothes on. He walked into the kitchen to find everyone dishing their food.

"Here Wells, theres plenty of pasta." Steve told him.

"Good, I'm starving." As he dished a large portion of spaghetti and meatballs.

Tony took a bite of a meatball and grimaced.

"Its turkey." Steve said.

"Yeah I just found that out." Tony replied.

"It's better for you." Steve remarked.

"So Thor is suppose to get in today or tomorrow right?" Bruce asked.

"That's what Coulson told me." Steve said.

"This is the guy from Asgard..? Right?" Gunnar asked.

"Yeah, be prepared for an adventure..." Steve said. "You want to train with him?" He smiled.

"I've heard what he can do. Lets just say I'm glad we're on the same side. I wouldn't want to face him in a real battle..." Gunnar said. "Oh while everyone is here, I need to explain a couple things. First, when I'm a dog, my instincts take over. We are two separate creatures. So if you find me sleeping at the foot of your bed in the morning, it's not my fault and don't take offense or feel weird. Two, sometimes I get stuck in that mode. If you ask me to come back human,  
>it doesn't always work."<p>

"I think we can make do. Right everyone?" Steve said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I'll try to stick to my bed or the floor though. It's not any less weird for me as it is for you in that situation." Gunnar explained.

After lunch and Steve was finished talking to everyone, Gunnar pulled Bruce aside.

"Thor knows about a lot of realms right?" Gunnar asked him.

"Yes, he does have extensive knowledge. Why are you asking?"

"So he knows a lot about different creatures and such?" Gunnar asked again.

Bruce could see where this was going and he nodded.

"Good. He might have an idea of what I am. Or how I could find out."


	9. Chapter 9

. .ice: Thank you for the review! I actually noticed that I didn't write what he looked like when I was writing this chapter. Must have slipped through the cracks somehow. So sorry to my readers! So Gunnar is not as big as Thor or Captain America. He's more built like Hawkeye or Iron Man. He's got more lean muscle than bulk. Since his dog form is a chocolate brown color, so is his hair. He also has bright green/amber eyes, and I imagined him to be around 5'10". I hope that clears things up some. You are so awesome by the way! Boosting my ego. haha

THE NEXT DAY:

Thor walked through the elevator doors around Noon and busted through the kitchen door beaming with delight. Bruce, Natasha and Steve were eating their lunches and talking amongst themselves.

"Hello, my Midgardian friends!" He bellowed.

"Hey Thor. How was Asgard?" Bruce asked.

"All the realms are at peace and all is well in my kingdom." Thor smiled. "Tell me the latest news about Earth! I heard we have acquired another brother in arms? Where might he be?" He asked.

"I think he's in the gym. Did you want to go down there and meet him? I can go with you." Steve said.

"He has some questions for you, but I told him that you would probably be busy with Shied and visiting Jane." Bruce interjected.

"I will make time for the young hero! It does not interfere with my plans. Jane understands my duties to your people come first." Thor said diplomatically.

"Alright, let's go check downstairs." Steve said getting up from his chair.

"Hold on my friend! I must feast on those things you refer to as pop tarts, as I have grown weak from my travels." Thor proclaimed as he opened the cabinets rooting around for the sugary breakfast. After he had quickly shoveled an entire box, while the others watched in disgust, he was ready to follow Steve to the gym to find Wells. Steve and Thor made their way downstairs and walked through the elevator doors and walked into the gym looking around for Wells. They spotted him in the simulation room in his human form and he was dodging projectiles. It ended and Gunnar saw his spectators watching him with smiles. He opened the door and walked out.

"Impressive, young one." Thor said.

"Good job Wells, I didn't know you were just as quick and strong in your human form." Steve sounded a bit surprised. Gunnar had fairly wide shoulders and all around muscular. His was glistening with sweat but wasn't out of breath. He could take quite a beating before he was completely worn out.

"Thanks." He said proudly. "I'm Agent Gunnar Wells. You must be the famous Thor?" He stuck his hand out toward the bigger man. Thor shook his hand roughly.

"The pleasure is mine." Thor said with a smile.

"I have some questions for you, that is, if you wouldn't mind…" Gunnar said. "Bruce said you would be busy. I understand if you don't have the time. "

"I would be much obliged to answer any of your questions that you believe I have the answer to." Thor said reassuringly. "I don't mind at all."

"Thanks! That would be awesome! I need to shower first though. I could meet you back upstairs afterwards? Maybe in the common area? If that's okay with you of course." He asked.

"That would be excellent." Thor replied.

Steve's phone went off and he read the message he had received. "Agent Coulson is calling a meeting. We all need to report to the helicarrier as soon as possible. Guess that discussion will have to wait." He said.

15 MINUTES LATER:

Everyone reported to the common area and headed to the quinjet on the roof of Avengers Tower. Everyone except Tony got on board, because he preferred to fly via suit. He launched off a few minutes before everyone else.

ON BOARD THE QUINJET:

Thor was sitting next to Wells away from the rest of the group. He was sitting in the black and navy blue suit that Tony had created for him He also had a vest that fit his dog form that Steve would have to put on him once he had shifted in dog form. He was glad he wouldn't have to morph back into human form and be buck ass naked anymore, especially in front of everyone.

"Thor, I wanted to ask you. I know you have seen many creatures in your lifetime. I was wondering… Do you know what I am? I have superhuman strength and speed. I don't seem to age as fast as other people, and of course I can heal fairly quickly. And I have this." It was a white tattoo on the upper part of his right chest. It was symbol of a shield with a dog paw in the middle. "I've had it since… I don't know. For as long as I can remember." Gunnar said.

Thor pointed to his tattoo. "The thought crossed my mind when they informed me of you, but now I'm positive. That's an Asgardian symbol. A family crest to be exact. There is a small lineage of wargs that can turn from human to wolves. Your genetics seem to be bit different though. I've never seen on become what you humans call dogs. But you are definitely Asgardian blood, brother."

Wells was in shock. He didn't know what to say back to Thor. The rest of the ride he remained silent and Thor seemed to be beaming with happiness that he found a fellow Asgardian on Earth.

They arrived on the helicarrier 45 minutes later, which was sitting in the Atlantic water just off the coast of South Carolina. They walked off the quinjet and headed to the meeting room to find Coulson. He was there waiting in the assembly room with Clint and Director Fury.

"Thanks for being prompt everyone. I' m sure you're wondering why you are all here. We have a couple things to talk about and then we can get started with the latest mission." Coulson said.

"Am I back on active duty?" Wells asked.

"Yes, you are no longer on the inactive list." He replied. "So, our latest mission requires all of you. Director Fury has informed me that the latest terrorist group we've been watching has acquired some heavy weapons. We need to take them out. They have technology we haven't seen before and I want a recon mission to figure out what we need to do to wipe them out without getting the attention of their affiliates. The less people know they have this new technology, the better. Cap, you and Director Fury will go over tactics for the recon, Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff I need you two to go over plans for getting in and out without being seen. Stark and Dr. Banner, I want you to work with the research team to start understanding this weapons technology. Agent Wells and Thor, you are coming with me."

Everyone headed to their respective assignments and starting talking about how they were going to handle the latest mission.

When Coulson, Thor and Wells were alone in another room, Wells started telling Coulson about what he had learned.

"I was hoping to talk to you before you found out…" Coulson said looking away.

"Wait… what do you mean?" Wells asked.

"We knew that you are Asgardian." He replied.

"What do you mean you knew?! How long did you keep this from me?!" Wells yelled.

"When you were first brought to Shield, we took a sample of your blood. We didn't know what it was at the time but then we discovered Asgard and Thor. As soon as we collected another sample, we knew what you were." He said.

"So you've just been keeping me here captive? I'm just a weapon to Shield? I automatically don't get to know anything about my past and family?" He yelled once more.

"I was going to tell you at the right time…" He said.

"Screw you Coulson." Wells said and then walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him and heading up to the deck of the helicarrier.

NOTE:

Thanks for reading! I had to look up the "wargs" and kind of had to bend and adapt the real story and definition. It's pretty interesting and I hope everyone thought the twist was believable enough. :)


	10. Chapter 10

NOTE: Wooooooo! 10 chapters in and over 10k words. I'm so happy with how this story is going and I'm glad everyone is happy. This chapter is going to be intense and the story will pick up significantly. Thank you as always for reading and if anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to tell me! I want to make this as easy as possible for people to understand. I appreciate the support everyone has given me. I know I was vague about the mission in the last chapter but I meant to do that and it will be explained further in this. I made this chapter longer than any of the other ones just to pump everyone up. Happy reading! (I also apologize for any mistakes. I will be going through the whole story once it's complete to edit.)

Gunnar was sitting on the edge of one of the walkways on the helicarrier with his legs dangling in between the rails. His head was resting forward looking out at the Atlantic Ocean watching the waves roll. The wind was whipping across his body and cutting through the suit he was wearing. Yet, it didn't bother him. He was focused on the information that he had just found out about his ancestry. He was angry at Coulson for lying to him all this time and felt like the one person he had trusted all his life, betrayed him without a second thought. He had been sitting there for an hour when Bruce walked up and mirrored the position he was sitting in.

"I know you're mad. But, Coulson was going to tell you at the right time. He was going to explain everything but then when Agent Procopio died, he thought you needed some space from work and Shield. He gave you this assignment for a reason. He knew you would need people to look out for you." Bruce explained.

"So you knew too? Figures…" Gunnar scoffed. "Does everyone know?"

"No. Just me. Unless Tony hacked into the files again. I was assigned to do research on your blood. Since we both shift into other… creatures." Bruce said.

"So it's true? I'm Asgardian like Thor? How did this even happen? How did I get here? I need to know Bruce; I need to know what happened." He quickly spoke. His started getting flustered.

"I don't have those answers. I just know that your blood is similar in some ways, but very different. You don't have the same DNA as a regular Asgardian which probably has something to do with why you morph." Bruce replied.

"I need to talk to someone who can tell me what happened. I need to know if I have family…" He said desperately.

"I know, I'll try to help in any way I can. I promise. We will find out what happened." Bruce said kindly. They sat silently for a few minutes and just looked out at the view. Gunnar always had kept his cool on the outside, never letting anyone know how he truly felt on the inside. But during this conversation, he knew Bruce could read everything on his face. All the emotions that had been building for the past few months was displayed across his tired face.

"I trusted him. I didn't have parents, and Phil was always there. They were my family. He trained me and protected me. If I needed to vent about anything, he was there, and he lied to me. He betrayed my trust. He's been keeping this secret from me for months." Gunnar said sighing.

"And you still can trust him. He did what was best for you, give the guy a break. He's only human." Bruce said while smiling. Gunnar laughed at the last part of what he said. "We should go back Wells. The team needs us, and we need you. I know you're upset with him, but we have the mission. Stay up here for a few more minutes, collect yourself and come back ready to work. Alright?"

"Alright, I think I can do that." Wells replied.

"I know you can." Bruce said while getting up and walking away.

A FEW MINUTES LATER:

They were all standing collectively in the debriefing room and ready to get underway. Steve made eye contact with Gunnar and stood next to him. He quietly asked "are you okay?" and Gunnar nodded.

Fury enlarged a profile with a picture of a man up on the projector. "We have some new information on our target. His name is William Stryker. He is a leader of a group that call themselves the Purifiers, who have taken out mutants and plan to try and wipe them all out. They have killed many mutant children and adults. Our intel shows that he has created a weapon that neutralizes a mutants powers, making them weak and able to kill in one deadly blow. We decided to give mission to you people because you can handle this. It's dangerous but we need you." Director Fury explained. "There is something else. I need Wells to go undercover as a mutant. You have the most believable transition from human to dog. That way you can be taken to his lair and be the bait, so the rest of them can get in and kill him."

Wells looked at Fury and without any hesitation he nodded.

Steve looked around the room and started objecting to this plan. "With all due respect Director, I disagree. Wells has always been on search and rescue. He's never been on this type of mission, or for that matter, undercover! This guy is an extremist. He will kill Agent Wells!"

"Cap. I can do this." Gunnar said.

"I won't allow it. This is my team." Steve said. "We have to find another way."

"Excuse me Captain, but I believe this is still my team. There is no other way. This is the best solution we have come up with and it is the most secretive. We get in, take him down and get out before nobody else knows. We take down the leader, and they become weak with no direction." Fury shot back.

Steve had an angry look on his face and crossed his arms. "I don't like this."

"I didn't ask if you liked it, but this is the plan." Fury replied.

"I accept, Director Fury." Gunnar stated.

They finished debriefing about the mission and headed to their respective quarters to get ready and suit up.

20 MINUTES LATER:

Steve was dressed in his usual American flag suit and putting on his boots as Gunnar knocked on the door. Steve hollered a "Come in!" and Gunnar opened the door and walked in.

Steve looked up and saw it was Gunnar and then went back to finishing getting his weapons together that were lying next to him on his desk.

"I know you don't want me to do this. But I need you to have some faith in me. I need you to be my partner in this. It'll be okay. I promise." Gunnar said.

"Just promise me you'll be careful." Steve replied.

"I promise. Now what should I wear?" Gunnar asked.

45 MINUTES LATER:

They were all aboard the quinjet on the deck of the helicarrier. Gunnar was wearing casual clothes because he was about to get sent undercover, while the rest were dressed in their cat suits and armor.

"Alright. We suspect that Stryker is here at this church that has been heavy with mutant riots the past few months." Coulson said pointing at a holographic map. "We'll land about 3 miles from there and Gunnar will head down that way and see if there's any suspicious characters hanging around that building. If you see anything, I want you to morph into a dog and get their attention. I want them to follow you and let them capture you. This guy likes doing the murder himself, especially since there are very few mutants in this particular area. They're thirsty for new blood. Hawkeye, I want you on the adjacent roof and watching everything. I have two agents already undercover that will be hanging around. One will have Yankee's cap on and the other will have thick rimmed glasses and a beard." He showed everyone their pictures. "The rest of you are on standby until we need you. Dr. Banner, you're here for intelligence and will be joining my team. We're all set up in the top level of this building. The other guy shouldn't be making an appearance but we'll see how it goes. We might need him." They all nodded in agreement.

The quinjet landed on a rooftop and they all walked off. Gunnar looked at Steve and nodded that he was ready. Coulson had one of his agents implant a tracking device in his arm quickly and told him to head down the street.

Gunnar was nervous but he didn't let it show. This was his job and he was trained for these moments. He walked down the street at fairly fast pace and was looking at every person and analyzing scents. A half an hour later he arrived a block from the target building. It was quiet. He saw one agent across the street at a newsstand drinking coffee and the other was washing windows on a nearby building. Hawkeye was nested on one of the higher buildings but he couldn't see him. Since he planned on getting captured, he didn't have a com system. He was relying on his team to get him out.

He saw the church and took note to how well kept it looked. There were beautiful stained glass windows lining the front and flower beds along the walkway leading up to the door. There were a couple men standing in front talking. They were dressed in upper class outfits but Gunnar whiffed a scent of gunshot residue on them. That was a perk of having the nose of a canine. He ducked down the side alley of the church where only the two men had view of him but blocked the view of anyone passing by. He ripped off his jacket to catch the attention of them and morphed into a dog. They immediately started talking and Gunnar took off at a medium pace down the alleyway. They rushed into the church, collected weapons and raced out the side door after him. Gunnar purposely turned into a dead end and they cornered him, catching their breath. Gunnar growled and backed up a few feet. They laughed and one took aim through the sights. He had never seen this type of weapon. He shot what looked like a tranquilizer and it stuck in Gunnar's right shoulder. He realized that this tranquilizer was no ordinary one because his world went black and he fell to the ground.

"Abort mission. They aren't going to take him to Stryker. I repeat, they aren't going to take him to Stryker. They're going to kill him." Hawkeye repeated over the com. He got his bow up and looked through the sight.

The other man was about to bash Gunnar's head in when he got an arrow in the chest. The other man looked scared and then he got an arrow in the leg. Two agents came around the corner and seized the injured perp and checked to see if the other one was alive.

"Agent Wells is down. I repeat Agent Wells is down." was heard over the com by the entire team.

NOTE: So William Stryker is part of the X-Men comics, but I decided to use him because he is still a part of the Marvel universe and I wanted something different. I also decided that he would fit into the story best and am excited about what happens next. I tried to make it as believable as possible and I hope that nobody is upset that I chose him. I wanted to be creative with this! Thanks for reading. I hope to get the next chapter up soon!


	11. Chapter 11

NOTE: Ahhhh! More followers! I'm so happy. Well, I don't have much to say except thank you for continuing to read my stuff. Last chapter had a huge cliffhanger. I hope I caught some people off guard. I love writing twists and being evil.

I wanted to talk about why I picked the name Gunnar real quick. At first, I thought of it because my cousin has a German Shepherd named "Gunner." I looked up the different spellings and found out when you spell it with an A, it's Nordic. I was so stoked because I planned on making him Asgardian. It also means fighter, attacker and soldier. I was beyond happy with this because it seemed to fit his character perfect.

Anyway, here is the next chapter! (It won't be as long as the previous.) As always, PM me if you have any questions, concerns or comments.

Gunnar woke up in a small room on a portable gurney. The door wasn't shut all the way and he could hear shouting and yelling outside the room. He was back to his human form and covered with a blanket, his suit was on the chair next to him. He checked his arm to see if he was hooked up to anything and he wasn't. He didn't know how long he had been out for. He stood up and put on his suit.

"We shouldn't have gone through with that plan! He could have gotten killed and if Hawkeye hadn't called it, we would be burying another agent." Steve yelled.

"Cap, calm down. The point is that nothing happened and now we have suspect in custody." Clint replied. "It didn't go as planned but now we have another way in. It all worked out."

"That was just luck." Steve said while he walked away from where Clint was and looked out the window.

"So you don't trust my skills? You don't have faith in this team?" Clint said meanly.

"That's not what I meant. I'm sorry." Steve replied. A few minutes went by and he was contemplating what he was going to say next while looking out at the other buildings.

"We need to get this mission done. New plan people, we're going to go in and assassinate the target. This is for Agent Barton and Romanoff. I want you two in and out as quickly as possible. We found out from the man we captured that Stryker is planning on burning down a suspected mutant condominium. I'm betting he will be there because he enjoys mass murdering. We were wrong about what happened today. He's starting to branch out and let others do his work. He's letting his men do these single jobs, like what happened today, but he won't be able to pass up a big show like this. This is planned to go down tomorrow night. I'm sending my two agents out tonight to recon and we'll find out who lives in that building." Coulson explained.

Gunnar walked in as Coulson was talking and leaned up against the wall. Everyone started at him for a few seconds and went back to talking.

"I can help. Fires are my expertise. I'm definitely trained for this." Gunnar said after Coulson was done explaining the new mission.

"I know you are Wells. That's why you, Stark, Thor and Captain will be on standby to for rescue while the other two assassinate him." Said Coulson. "As for Dr. Banner, I need you to stay in intelligence for the remainder of this mission." Everyone nodded and started getting ready.

Bruce walked over to Gunnar. "How are you feeling Wells? The substance they used to shoot you with is still being processed by the computer. I think that's the technology to neutralize mutant powers we were warned about. It didn't affect you the same ways because you're powers aren't derived from mutated human DNA. You aren't human at all. It still knocked you out cold though, so it is dangerous." Bruce explained.

"I'm alright. I feel almost back to normal. How long was I out?" Gunnar asked.

"Only about a half an hour, give or take a few minutes. We were all pretty worried, but when we checked your stats everything was normal and you were responsive. Steve almost had an aneurism though…" Bruce replied.

"Hmmm. Well I'm fine. I'm glad we have a sample of the serum they are using. Now we can find out what exactly we're dealing with." Gunnar said.

"Yeah, there's that." He replied.

Gunnar walked over to where Steve was standing by the window. He saw Cap's furrowed brow and noticed the man seemed to be deep in thought. Gunnar felt as though it was his job to keep his partner calm as possible. They didn't need their leader stressed.

"Do you want to go over some rescue techniques?" Gunnar asked. Steve took a moment before he replied.

"I'm glad you're okay Wells." Steve said.

"You didn't answer my question." Gunnar replied. Steve focused back on the conversation and agreed. Gunnar spend the next 45 minutes instructing Thor, Steve and Tony about what he was going to do in dog form so that they could recognize his signals and get people to safety.

"Alright, if anyone wants to get some sleep before tomorrow, we have some rooms set up down the hall with a few beds. I want everyone to be refreshed and ready. Rogers, you, Thor and Gunnar should go back first. Your presence isn't needed right now since your job will be getting those people out tomorrow." Coulson said. Thor and Cap walked down the hall and saw the makeshift quarters. There were 2 large, extra wide cots that could fit a demi-god or super soldier perfectly with extra room. The only downside was, they were low to the floor. Thor almost broke his as he flopped down onto it after he had taken off his amour. Steve's suit was fairly comfortable to sleep in so he propped up his boot next to the wall in a perfectly straight line out of habit from the military.

He laid down on the cot and covered himself with the Shield issued blanket. Thor was already snoring and Steve shook his head at the sight. As soon as he was comfortable and about to fall asleep, he heard a whine. He could only see Gunnar's outline in the darkness because of the light shining through the crack of the door. He was in dog form sitting at the foot of his cot. Before Steve could protest his feet were being trampled by paws as Gunnar got up on his cot and turned around a few times and curled into a ball. He put his head on his front paws and looked up at Steve.

"I guess I can share since there are no more cots…" Steve said annoyingly. The lower half of his body was now cramped for space and he was definitely a lot less comfortable. After shifting his weight so his legs neared the edge, giving Gunnar most of the bottom of the cot, he noticed how much warmth he was emitting. He didn't go as far as sharing his blanket though. Steve already felt awkward for sleeping next to another dude. He remembered what Wells said though. He warned him that he would do dog things such as this so Steve couldn't be that upset.

Gunnar wrapped his tail around his body and closed his eyes. His ears twitched every few minutes but eventually stopped.

They were both exhausted more than they thought because both of them nodded off to sleep fairly quickly. Steve fell asleep hoping that nobody would see the position he was in.

NOTE: I'm glad I finally got the opportunity to write some Steve/Gunnar friendship. This is a non-slash fic, btw. It will only be friendship between them. But everyone knows how great a bond can be between a man and his dog. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the next installment will be about taking down William Stryker for good and completing the mission. The story will probably starting winding down after this mission is over. I can only foresee a few more chapters left. BUT, there's the whole Asgard twist which could keep the story going for a while longer or make it into a sequel. There will be a sequel though! So don't worry readers, this story won't be the end of Gunnar Wells and his adventures with Captain America. I guess we will have to see what happens and how everything plays out. I should be getting the next chapter out in the next 48 hours. I try to keep it rolling! :) Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

NOTE: Sorry its been a few days since I updated but this chapter took a lot of thinking and planning. It's a critical and technical chapter so I hope y'all understand it alright. Anyway, hope everyone enjoys it!

EARLY THE NEXT DAY:

Steve woke up to Gunnar whimpering quietly in his sleep. It didn't sound like he was having a bad dream though. He looked content. He was still curled up at the end of his cot. He slowly got up slowly not wanting to disturb him. He looked  
>over at Thor and he was still dead asleep. He walked over to the door and snuck quietly out of the room and headed down the hall to the command center.<p>

"If anyone wants to sleep, one of the cots is... Well, half open." He said to Natasha and Clint.

They both gave him puzzled looks and he just shook his head.

"I think I might go lay down for a bit." Natasha said.

"Thor's still asleep." Steve replied. "But you can kick him out since he's taken a turn."

Natasha turned away from the others and walked down the hall. She silently opened the door and saw Gunnar on the cot she was going to use. She moved the blanket and he stirred. He slowly lifted his head and he got off the cot.

"So this is what he meant by half occupied..." She thought to herself.

He stretched out and looked up at her. She laid down on the now empty cot and noticed how warm it was. Gunnar laid his head on the side of the cot and whined.

"Shhh Wells. Don't wake up Thor." She whispered. She turned so she was facing away from him.

He whined again.

"I'm not Cap, Wells. Go bother him. You're not getting up here." She replied.

He gave her loud exhale and then walked out of the room. He went down the hall, passed the command center and entered a fairly decent mobile lab. He found Bruce hunkered over a microscope and computer. He laid his head on the edge of his lap underneath the table and startled him from his intense work.

"We-Wells. You scared me." He stumbled.

Gunnar looked up at him and wagged his tail. He saw how tired Bruce looked. He then came around out from under the table and nudged his arm. Bruce ignored him so he growled and tugged on his shirt. When Bruce ignored him again he nudge him so hard he nearly got knocked off his seat.

"Alright, I get the hint." He laughed. Bruce got up as Steve was walked in.

"Your dog is really persistent..." He said to Steve as they walked by each other. Steve looked confused and then looked at Wells who was sitting as innocently as possible and wagging his tail furiously.

Gunnar stayed in dog form the rest of the day and Steve was quite relieved because when he was a dog, he was more social and happy. They had really started to bond and even got some light pt training before the mission was underway.

LATER THAT DAY:

"Alright everyone, now that you're all good and rested, its time to suit up and get ready to take this down guy before he hurts any civilians." Coulson announced to everyone. Steve and Gunnar walked back to the room with the cots where their gear was.

Steve didn't have much to get ready since he was already dressed in his mission suit. He just had to grab his shield.

Gunnar carried the vest in his mouth and flung it towards Steve's feet. It was sleek and light but still carried quiet a few things. A couple of extra filled magazines, a K-Bar standard knife, paracord, medical supplies and a com that was attached to the top near the neck of the vest. It was also made of fireproof material. It was perfect for emergencies and protective.

"You want me to put this on for you?" Steve asked. Gunnar barked in reply. He unzipped the side and let Gunnar slip his head through the hole. He zipped it back up and secured the buckles. It fit snugly over the black suit Stark had made him. Steve also put the black booties on him, one paw at a time. When he was finished, Gunnar barked and turned in a circle.

Just then, Coulson busted through the door and said "The intel we got was wrong! They are burning the building as we speak. We have to go now, and get those civilians  
>out! The Quinjet is going up in 60 seconds! Move people!"<p>

They all ran up to the roof and boarded the jet just in time. It took off and the 6 of them saw the burning building and landed a couple blocks away. The flames in the building were spreading fast. They had learned that Stryker had cornered a suspected mutant family and was holding them hostage in the top floor.

Black Widow, Hawkeye and Iron Man headed off to take Stryker out while Captain America, Thor and Wells headed to get people out of the building and taken somewhere safe.

There were a few men surrounding the building and protesting against mutants with weapons, and screaming at the top of their lungs.

Gunnar immediately ran into the building, dodging the men as Captain and Thor followed and took them out as they went. He jumped through an open window like it was nothing and raced up the flights of stairs. The building was 10 floors. When Captain America busted down the main entrance, he found that his partner had already cleared the first 5 floors. He ran up to go find him.

Gunnar didn't pick up any human scents until the 5th floor. Stryker's followers had barricaded a door and trapped a mother and son in their unit. He could smell them through the door. He barreled into the heavy object from the side and got it to slide away enough to get the door open. By this time Captain had reached him and he yelled through the door that he was there to help and opened the it. The two civilians rushed out and Gunnar led them down the stairs. As soon as they got down to where Thor was, Gunnar raced up the stairs smelling for anyone else.

He arrived at the top of the 7th floor and stopped. The building was getting worse. This unit wasn't barricaded, but locked so he busted through. Gunnar led Captain to two small children huddled under a table. They were coughing and didn't look more than 5 or 6.

Captain lifted the girl and told her to hang on as tight as she could. She wrapped her legs and arms around Gunnar and Cap told him to go.

Gunnar stood his ground and whined. He didn't want to leave his partner.

"GO! NOW!" He yelled. Gunnar obeyed and went as fast as he could without letting the girl drop. He made it down and outside. By then the local fire department and police had made it and were securing the scene. Thor ran out of the building a minute later carrying the other little girl. Captain was suppose to be out by now.

Gunnar froze.

FLASHBACK:

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Ava yelled.

"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU BEHIND!"  
>Gunnar yelled back across the burning room.<p>

He knew better. The building was starting to collapse. He had been in human form for this particular rescue mission because he needed to communicate verbally with his handlers.

He lunged for her as a beam fell. Then totally blackness. The next thing he knew he was in a sterile white room, looking around. He looked over his body but his healing power had finished doing it's job. A doctor came in with Coulson telling him that Ava was still in surgery.

A few hours later, Coulson came in to tell him that she was gone.

END OF FLASHBACK.

Gunnar snapped back into reality. He ran back into the building and ignored the shouts from people trying to stop him. He only had a few minutes before the building was completely consumed. He ran up to where he had last seen him but he wasn't there. He tracked his scent up another flight. He found him seconds later dragged an unconscious man behind him. Cap was wheezing. The smoke inhalation was getting to him. Gunnar took over and dragged the man while Cap held onto his vest. He guided them carefully down the stairs and it seemed to go on forever. Steve started to stumble and rely on Gunnar more. They got out just in time and collapsed on the ground. The paramedics rushed over and started working on the unconscious man.

Gunnar looked around and saw Hawkeye and Black Widow. Thor was standing nearby Tony. Steve leaned over and kept holding onto Gunnar as he breathed heavily, with his shield on the ground next to them. They both were covered in black soot and a few burn marks.

Natasha walked over to Wells and Cap. "The mission was successful. Stryker was taken out and everyone's out of the building." She said discreetly. "We're heading back to the Helicarrier for a debriefing. Then we are heading back to the Tower."

NOTE: I hope you guys liked it! I'll update sooner this time. Thank you for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

NOTE: Chapter 13 won't be nearly as intense as the previous and I hope everyone enjoyed reading it. As requested there will be more Steve/Gunnar friendship in this. There will also be a tad bit of Gunnar/Tony friendship too. Thank you for those of you who reviewed. I'm glad to see your continuous support and for all of those who have just jumped on board, hope you like it! :)

They didn't stay on the scene long and headed back in the Quinjet to pick up Bruce. Agent Coulson and the support team would be following behind them.

After they picked up Bruce, they headed back to the Helicarrier to debrief. Everyone looked tired and disheveled. It had been a long few days and they were ready to sleep in their own beds.

Steve was sitting on the bench in the Quinjet next to Bruce and Tony. Natasha and Clint were piloting, and Thor and Gunnar were across the isle. Steve was checking himself over and confirmed that he only had minor cuts and burns.

He looked over at Gunnar and saw he was favoring his right paw. The adrenaline had worn off and he was hurting. He knew he would heal in a matter of hours. Steve got up and kneeled in front of him.

"Bruce, he's favoring this leg. Can you come look at it?" Steve asked.

Bruce got up and shuffled over. He peered through his glasses and gently reached for his leg but Gunnar pulled away.

"Wells, let him see it." Steve demanded.

Bruce reached again and Gunnar pulled away. This time he growled. He was refusing to let him near. He would heal and it wouldn't matter.

"Wells, come on. Let him help." Steve said sternly.

Bruce got a hold this time and Gunnar let out a huff. There was a burn where the gap between his bootie and suit met. The boot had also melted to his fur in one section. Bruce carefully took some scissors and cut it free. Then he peeled the suit up and started dressing the burn. Gunnar whined quietly a couple times while he did this. When Dr. Banner was finished, Gunnar slumped down on the bench. Steve petted his head a couple times and ignored Tony's comments.

"We should make these flame resistant. This one melted to his fur a bit. They should also be longer to cover this gap." Steve told Tony.

"I'm always up for a challenge." Stark said. "Maybe I'll make them waterproof too, so Lassie here can rescue you when you fall in a well."

Steve glared at Tony for the second comment. He didn't bother to lash back because everyone was use to ignoring his charming remarks.

"I'm proud of what we accomplished today. We will all sleep well knowing we kept your people safe! " Thor said triumphantly. Steve and Bruce nodded in agreement.

They made it back to the Helicarrier and waited on Coulson's arrival. As soon as he did, they got the debriefing started.

Steve was wondering why Gunnar hadn't changed back yet. They finished going over mistakes and statements and Gunnar remained in his dog form. It was his turn to go over what happened and Coulson saw that he wasn't going to budge.

"You may all go back to the Tower now. Agent Wells and I are going to talk alone for a few minutes. He'll meet the rest of you up on the deck shortly." Coulson said and they all walked out except Gunnar who sat, staring at him.

"I know you are still angry with me. I know you feel like I betrayed your trust... But, I did it for your well being. You might not see it now, but I hope you can forgive me. You mean a lot to me Gunnar." Coulson could see a glint of surprise in his eyes. Only Ava and Lena called him by his first name.

Gunnar still sat and didn't change back into being human.

"Alright. You're dismissed." Coulson said slightly disappointed. He opened the door from him and Gunnar walked out.

40 MINUTES LATER:

Back and Avengers tower, everyone was exhausted except for Tony. He was ready to order food and get working on his latest Iron Man suit updates. He ordered enough Chinese to feed a small country. Everyone else was interested in cleaning up and sleeping, but Tony demanded they have a team dinner. So, they showered and changed out of their uniforms and into civi's.

Gunnar limped back to his room and turned into a human long enough to take a shower and get out of his uniform. Then he turned back into a dog. He didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment. He didn't necessarily want to be alone, he just didn't want to talk about the events. He had froze on the mission and couldn't get the flashback out of his head. He kept picturing his last moments with Ava.

He trotted back out of his room and down the hall. His foot was starting to feel much better. The food had arrived and they all gathered around the table. Steve put some of everything in a bowl for Gunnar and awkwardly stood there waiting for some kind of direction.

"Do I just put this on the floor for you...?" Steve asked Gunnar.

He barked once in response and motioned with his head.

Steve put it on the ground below his own seat and Gunnar started wolfing down the food. Everyone had just gotten to their seats, and he had already finished. Natasha looked down at him and didn't know if she should be impressed or disgusted. She was starting to think that all Asgardian's ate like that.

After everyone had had their fill, there was light conversation and Gunnar laid below Steve's feet while they discussed the random topics. Natasha and Bruce were the first ones to go back to the sleeping quarters. Steve stood up to clean the table off and Tony brewed a pot of coffee.

After a few more minutes the conversation died down and Clint and Thor also went to their rooms. Tony started rambling on about something he needed to do and took  
>his coffee cup down to the lab.<p>

After Steve put the mountainous amount of leftovers away, he realized how convenient it was that they all left and he was stuck dealing with cleaning up. He really didn't mind though because it gave him something to do and he wasn't sleeping all that well these days.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed Wells. You should get some sleep too." Steve said.

Gunnar got up and walked behind him as they went down the hall to their quarters.

Steve walked into his room but didn't shut his door all the way. He liked to leave it cracked open after missions in case a team member needed him or there was an emergency. He wanted to be "that guy" everyone could count on for anything.

He got in his sweats and got under the covers. He wasn't quite ready to go to bed. He brought out a book and started reading.

Gunnar walked into his room and sat in the middle of the comfortable dark carpet. He looked across the floor and saw Lena's letter tucked slightly behind one of his duty bags.

He never did have the courage to open it.

He sat there for while and realized he didn't want to be alone. When he first got partnered with Captain, he made plans to not get attached. He couldn't bear the thought of losing someone close again. But, this mission made him realize that he had to let people in, because that's what kept them safe. Trust is what made partnerships work so well.

A half an hour later, Steve heard quiet footsteps and he looked up from his book. Gunnar nosed open his door and stood in the doorway with his head hanging. Steve could tell something was off. He had noticed earlier when he never turned back to human form that something was going on with him. He looked at Steve and then walked into his room and sat down near the base of his bed.

"As long as this doesn't become a habit..." Steve thought to himself.

Gunnar looked up at him. "The end of the bed is yours if you want it." Steve patted the bed.

Gunnar immediately jumped up and sniffed around. He turned in a circle a few times and found a spot on the end. He curled up and put his tail around himself.

Steve thought to himself. "At least this is a queen size bed..."

Steve was just hoping nobody would walk by and see them. He was sure Tony would be the only one to give him grief though. He was wishing if any of the others saw, that they would understand sometimes they just needed silent companionship sometimes.

EARLY THE NEXT DAY:

Gunnar slipped off Steve's bed quietly without disturbing him. He made his way down the hallway and went down the stairs towards Tony's garage. Jarvis opened the door for him and he entered the room. Tony was busy singing to the loud music while working on something. Gunnar trotted over to the couch and jumped up.

"What are you doing down here mutt?" He asked. "Did I invite you to get on my couch?"

Gunnar got off, explored the room and started sniffing around the garage. He found a tennis ball on a lower shelf next to a few professional level rackets that looked brand new. Gunnar picked it up with his mouth and carried it back towards Tony. He couldn't help when his dog genes overwhelmed him once in a while. He sat next to him and tried to give him the spitty ball.

Tony looked down at Gunnar and said "I don't like to be handed things." Gunnar just whined and whacked it against Tony's leg. They stared at each other and Tony sighed.

He carefully took the ball out of his mouth trying not to get spit on his fingers. "This is gross." He retorted. He threw the ball towards the empty part of the garage. Gunnar ran to retrieve it and chewed on it happily as he wagged his tail. His foot had healed completely while he had rested. He brought it back to Tony and fetched a few more times. Tony was actually smiling. He had come down after the mission to be alone but what he was doing with Gunnar was almost therapeutic.

"Alright I'm done. Go bother someone else." He said. Gunnar dropped the ball and started licking Tony's hand. He yanked his hand away and his face scrunched up.

"And it just got weird." Tony walked away and started working on his project again.

Gunnar picked up the ball and went back upstairs to find someone else to play with.


	14. Chapter 14

NOTE: When I first started writing this story, didn't know how long I was going to make it. Now, here we are 14 chapters later and over 15,000 words. I'm content with how this story has gone so far. This chapter and next will be emotional! Thanks again for reading, and thanks especially for those who took the time to review.

Wells walked down the hallway with the tennis ball in his mouth. It was still pretty early in the morning so he didn't think he was going to find anyone. So he was surprised when he saw Clint sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"Coulson's going to bring by Lena's belongings today. He wanted me to tell you since you didn't answer your phone. He said it's just a couple of boxes." Clint said.

Gunnar exhaled deeply. He just stared up at him. He dropped the ball and walked back out of the room. That news had killed the good mood he had desperately worked for and he didn't want to bother asking anyone to throw the ball for him.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep all the emotions inside. He felt like he was going to explode at any second. The last time his emotions got the better of him, he attacked a fellow agent. He didn't want history to repeat itself.

He decided to go back to his room. He slipped through the door and crawled under his bed and put his head on the ground. He didn't know how long he had been under there because he fell asleep.

He woke up to Clint bringing in a couple boxes and setting them near the wall by the door. He stood waiting for a few seconds and then turned, walked out and shut the door behind him.

A few minutes later Gunnar got out from under and stared at the boxes marked with her name. He wanted to open them but the ache in his heart pulled him away.

2 DAYS LATER:

Gunnar mostly stayed in his dog form. He didn't want to talk about what happened during the mission. They didn't take a lot of recovery time and started training again. It had been a couple of long and tiring days in the gym which Gunnar loved because it was a distraction from his real problems.

Steve walked up to the study which had been deemed Bruce's for the amount of time he spent up there.

He walked through the doorway and sat down on the couch. Bruce looked up from the book he was reading.

"Cap. Whats up?" He asked.

"I'm not the only one that has noticed agent Wells has not made an appearance, right?" Steve questioned.

"Yeah... I did notice. I wouldn't worry too much though. Everyone has their own way of coping. He did freeze pretty badly towards the end of the mission. He's probably just upset about that." Bruce explained.

"I didn't know he froze... That must have been why Coulson pulled him aside." Steve said with a puzzled look on his face. He rubbed his hands together slowly and leaned on his elbows onto his knees.

Bruce put his book down on the desk and pushed it away from him.

"So what happened?" He asked.

"I saw it on of the camera's I was monitoring during the mission. Thor brought out a girl from the building and I'm guessing it freaked him out when it wasn't you. He just stood there still for about 30 seconds and then ran in to go get you." Bruce explained. "Maybe you  
>should ask him what happened."<p>

"I would if he turned back in to a human. I just don't know..." Steve said while talking with one of his hands.

"Maybe I'm not the best partner for him. Maybe he needs to go back to Coulson. He won't talk to me. The rare couple times that he did, I had to practically force him..." Steve said exhaustedly.

Bruce sighed. "It was about Ava." He said. "I think anyway. You read the file Steve... She died in a similar situation. They were getting agents out of a building after an attack but it collapsed. He made it... she didn't."

Steve wiped his hand over his face. "Why didn't I make the connection! " He replied. "That makes so much more sense."

"He needs you Steve. Don't give up. He doesn't have anyone left and him going in that building after you means theres some part of him that cares. Even if he hasn't told you." Bruce explained. "When he first got here he told me that he wouldn't get attached. But he has, and he's angry at himself. He doesn't want to get hurt again."

Steve leaned back against the couch. After a few minutes of silence and thinking said "I'm going to go see if he'll talk to me. Thanks Bruce." Bruce nodded.

"See you later for dinner?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Bruce replied.

LATER THAT DAY:

Steve walked by Gunnar's room and could hear two distinct voices talking. It was Thor and Well's. He stood outside the door but he couldn't make out the conversation. He stood there debating on if he should go in or just stay out of it. He moved closer and listened to the entire conversation.

"I want to know everything about wargs." Wells said.

"Well in your language it means "wolf." Not all wargs can change into another form like you. Your ancestry is special. They are marvelous. Cunning, prideful, loyal creatures. You should be proud of where you came." Thor explained with a smile on his face.

"So you don't know how I got here on earth?" Gunnar asked.

"That, my Asgardian brother, I'm sorry to say I do not have an answer for you. I will not stop looking until I have an answer, I promise you that." Thor replied.

"Will I ever get to go home...?" Gunnar asked.

"Someday. Maybe sooner than later. I will have to talk to someone who can give me direction on what happened. I will to do everything in my power to get you back." Thor answered.

"I really want to see Asgard. I want to meet my real family." Gunnar said.

"Asgard is a marvelous place! There are so many wonderful things I want to show and teach you... I will do my best to get you there." Thor replied.

"I don't remember anything from that part of my past. I wish I could... My first memory is of my handlers and Shield. I didn't have a choice on joining, I was just adopted into the program." Gunnar explained.

"Your loyalty belongs with Shield and protecting Earth. That needs to continue to be your priority even if I do take you back to Asgard to learn about your culture. Loki could never accept being a part of our family knowing he wasn't blood." Thor replied.

"I thought they were. But Coulson lied to me this entire time..." Gunnar explained.

"Sometimes we have to make hard choices when we see the big picture, and not everyone can see it in the same way. I'm sure it wasn't easy for him. He's a good man." Thor said with a meaningful look.

"I know." Gunnar looked down. "Thanks for talking to me Thor. I really do appreciate having someone who understands and can give me some kind of answer about being a... warg."

"I will always be here if you need council young one." Thor replied.

Gunnar felt glad that someone was finally able to tell him about a part of his life that had always been missing.

Steve was happy that Gunnar wasn't shutting everyone out.

Steve heard the conversation end so he moved quickly away from the door and walked down the hall towards the kitchen. He decided to brew a pot of coffee and while he was waiting for it, Wells walked in, as a human for the first time in three days.

"Hey! Nice to see you without all the fur." Steve said smiling.

"Yeah, Thor and I had a talk about Asgard... But you knew that already." Gunnar replied.

Steve looked down at his coffee cup and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"I do have the hearing of a dog, you know. I could practically hear you breathing outside the door."

"I'm sorry Wells, I didn't mean to be nosey. I just wanted to see if you were okay." Steve explained.

"It's alright. I can't get too mad because he door was cracked and there are 7 people living here... and it wasn't like it was classified information."

Tony appeared in the doorway and chimed in. "Technically WE are classified information. So anything that happens here is classified." He walked over to the fresh pot of coffee and poured some in his mug. Gunnar rolled his eyes and rummaged through the refrigerator for something to drink.

"Any requests for dinner?" Tony asked.

"Does it really matter? Because you always ignore it and order what you want anyway." Steve shot back. Another perk of living with a eccentric genius.

"True." Tony replied.

LATE THAT NIGHT:

Gunnar was alone again sitting on his bed looking at the boxes. He was contemplating looking in them. He paced around his room a few times, inhaling and exhaling deeply and saw the letter on the ground. He picked it up and started to breathe more heavily, his heart pounding.

He opened the letter and read what was inside.

Steve shot up out of his bed. He had been asleep for a couple hours. A very loud bang penetrated through his walls and his heart was racing because of the rude awakening. He heard another loud sound but this one sounded more like glass. He ran out and saw the others in the hallway just as confused by the sounds.

The only person that wasn't standing with them was Wells and Tony.

NOTE: HA! Cliffhanger! ;) I will update soon! This chapter was emotional but next will be even more deep. Hope you guys liked it!


	15. Chapter 15

NOTE: I've been writing an essay the past 3 days for school so I apologize for the length. It's a tad shorter than the past 5 chapters. Last chapter ended with a cliffhanger. So, as usual thank you for the reviews, ask me if there are any questions, and I hope you enjoy it!

THE LETTER:

Gunnar,  
>I just wanted to tell you it isn't your fault. It just wasn't the same after Ava died. Now you have to be strong on your own. I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you needed me. There is something I've been meaning to talk to you about but after what happened, so now that I'm going to be gone, I want you to ask Coulson.<p>

Lena

"What the hell were those noises?" Clint whispered to everyone.

"I don't know. I think it came from Well's room." Natasha replied.

"The alarms didn't go off. There wasn't an intruder." Bruce said.

"Where's Stark?" Natasha asked.

"Jarvis, where's Tony?" Steve asked the A.I.

_Mr. Stark is in his garage. Would you like me to notify him that you need his assistance?  
><em>  
>"It's okay Jarvis, I think we got it." Steve replied.<p>

As you wish, Mr. Rogers. You should probably be informed that Agent Well's seems to be in distress.

"Maybe you should go in there, Cap." Bruce replied.

It was very early in the morning and even Natasha and Clint looked tired.

"Is he alone Jarvis?" Steve asked again.

_Yes, he is._

"Alright, everyone go back to bed except Bruce. He might end up needing medical attention. I don't know what happened in there yet. Let me investigate." Steve suggested.

"I'll just go sit in the living room for a little while then. Come get me if you need anything." Bruce said.

Everyone made their way back to their respective rooms. Steve hesitated and then slowly turned the nob on Well's door. He was almost afraid to go in after knowing his somewhat violent history when he was extremely upset. He opened the door and the room was dimly lit by his bedside lamp. He scanned the room and to assess his surroundings.

There was hole in the wall that shared his room on the other side, so he inferred that it was the first loud bang he heard. There was also glass scattered from a picture frame across the carpet. That must have been the second noise he heard. He saw Wells on the floor, leaning against his bed, arms and hands propped up on his knees.

"Wells?" Steve said quietly.

No answer. Gunnar was breathing quickly and on the verge of hyperventilating.

Steve slowly walked into the room father, still clad in his sweatpants and old shirt. He stepped around the glass making sure not to step on any of the shards. He rubbed his hand over his head and sat down a few feet away from him. Steve could smell alcohol on him now that he had gotten closer.

"Gunnar…" Steve said.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT." He yelled back. Steve could hear the rawness in his voice.

"What happened?" Steve asked.

"Don't worry about it." Wells snapped back.

"I will sit here all night if I have to. I don't care if you refuse to talk to me but I'm not leaving." Steve said stubbornly.

Steve saw the bottle of Whiskey next to him and it didn't look like there was much missing. He was thankful for that and sat there for a few minutes. Gunnar didn't seem like he was calming down. His breathing remained quick and short.

"Please talk to me… I'm your friend. Your partner." Steve said gently.

Gunnar broke at that word, partner. He started crying and leaned into himself more. The tears soon turned into anger and he stood up hastily. Steve noticed that he was holding a piece of paper in his hands that was slightly crumpled.

"I read the letter Lena left me. Its five sentences. FIVE SENTANCES. She summed up our life in FIVE MISERABLE SENTANCES." Gunnar exclaimed.

He paced the room and Steve saw the anger in his body language.

Steve saw that the hole in the wall must have been created by his fist. It was the right shape and he was definitely heated enough to do something like that.

Gunnar was starting to get agitated again now that he was venting his problems and was trying to keep his temper under control.

"She didn't come to me. She was having trouble and she didn't ask anyone for help. I was her family and she left me here without anyone. What kind of person does that? I could have helped her. I could have gotten her help… But she just gave up. She gave up on herself, on Coulson, on everyone who believed in her and… me. She gave up on me." Gunnar said exhaustedly and he sunk to the ground again, up against the wall he had redecorated earlier.

"I'm sorry Wells. I'm sorry this happened to you. I've never had to deal with this sort of thing before, but I know how it feels when someone close to you is ripped away prematurely." Steve responded.

Gunnar continued to cry for a good half an hour until his eyes were red and completely dry. His face was slightly flushed and he breathed in deeply a few times.

"Look, I know we haven't known each other for long. I know there is so much we need to learn about each other. But I'm all in. I'll be here for you. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Steve returned.

"You can't promise that. You don't know the future." Gunnar snapped back.

"I promise that I will be here for you as long as God gives me." Steve reassured him.

Gunnar calmed down and they sat there on opposite sides of the room for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was only a couple hours. Steve sat there content and listened to silence while he thought about the events that had happened that night.

"I was scared you know." Gunnar said breaking the silence.

"Scared of what?" Steve asked.

"When you didn't come out of the building…I was scared. I was scared that it would be a repeat of what happened to Ava…" Gunnar replied.

"But I'm okay, so there's nothing to worry about. The mission was successful." Steve said softly.

Gunnar was quiet for a few seconds and said almost inaudibly "I can't lose another partner."

Steve remained quiet and leaned his head back up against the bed. He stretched his legs out and put one leg over the other.

"Thanks for staying." Gunnar said.

"That's what partners are for." Steve replied.

"I don't want to keep you awake..."

"I've had enough sleep in this lifetime. One night without resting won't hurt. I don't mind keeping you company." Steve answered.

Bruce knocked at the door and opened it gently. He slipped in and stood in the entry way with a book in his hand. "I just wanted to check on you two. Are you alright Wells?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm sorry I woke you up…" Gunnar responded.

"It's alright. I was already awake anyway." Bruce said.

"Can you stay?" Gunnar asked shyly.

"Sure." Bruce replied. He looked down and saw the glass and walked around the broken pieces.

Gunnar shifted his weight. The carpet was comfortable but not after a few hours. He stood up and walked over to his bed, and laid down.

Steve also got up and moved to the couch. He took the blanket from the back of the seat and slumped down. He draped it over his mid-section and legs.

Bruce sat on the other side of the couch and opened the book to the spot where he left off. A few minutes later after he began reading, he looked up and saw both guys asleep, and smirked at the sight.


	16. Chapter 16

NOTE: So I've been super busy with school the last week, and will be until spring break starts in a couple weeks. Thank you for being patient! I've noticed my story has picked up a couple new followers. That's awesome. I'm so glad that people are interested. I know the past few chapters have been a little on the boring side and mostly character development but there will be another mission with more excitement! I just had to build up the bond between Captain and Gunnar before I moved on to another big segment. Anyway, thanks for reading!

THE NEXT MORNING:

Steve and Bruce woke up to Tony standing in the doorway staring at them. Gunnar didn't stir at the noises of the other guys moving and Tony talking.

"I'm hurt that I didn't get invited to the little sleepover." Tony said a little louder than he should have. "Looks like you guys had an interesting night… Why is there a hole in my wall?"

"Let's talk outside. He's still asleep." Steve whispered. Gunnar was asleep on his bed curled up with the letter against his chest, tucked in the crook of his arm. The blanket was covering him up to his waist and he was breathing slowly and peacefully.

Bruce stretched his arms and neck, than followed the other two out into the hall, quietly shutting the door behind them. Sleeping sitting up on the couch wasn't exactly the most comfortable position, but after a long night like that, he still fell asleep easily.

"So is someone going to tell me what happened last night and why his room looks like our green rage monster made an appearance?" Tony asked.

"Well's got a little emotional last night. He woke everyone up because he punched through the wall but I got him to calm down." Steve explained.

"Hmm. Well I'll get maintenance to come in and fix it today. In the meantime, keep your partner in check would you Cap? The role of the angry, self-destructive person has already been filled thanks to our Doc here." Tony smiled.

"Thanks…" Bruce replied.

"Look… if Fido needs anyone to throw his tennis ball for him, just send him down to the garage." Tony muttered quickly and then wandered off down the hall to the kitchen to refuel on coffee yet again. He didn't want to advertise that playing fetch with Gunnar was almost fun for the genius.

Steve and Bruce looked slightly confused and looked back at each other.

"That was a long night… you should go get in a nap or something Steve." Bruce said.

"I'm alright. I usually don't sleep that well anyway. I'm hungry though, you want to make breakfast and we can talk about what happened?" Steve asked.

They headed to the kitchen and Steve pulled out a loaf of bread for toast and laid a package's worth of bacon out on a large skillet.

"You won't get in trouble for telling me about what happened last night, right?" Bruce asked.

"I won't go into anything specific." Steve said. Bruce nodded as he sipped the orange juice he had just poured from the carafe.

"He read the letter that Lena left him. I don't know what it said but he was upset over how short and unemotional it was." Steve explained.

Bruce's eyebrows furrowed. "That must be difficult… I understand why that would make him so upset."

"He told me why he froze and he's afraid of losing another person that he cares about. He doesn't want to be alone." Steve said.

"Thor said that warg means wolf. Wolves are pack animals. Maybe he has that same need for family and being around people. Another reason he might have wanted me to stay as well last night. He might not be able to help it if he was just born with that DNA." Bruce contemplated.

Steve flipped the bacon over and stood against the kitchen counter and folded his arms. "That would make sense as to why he doesn't want to be alone when he's a dog…"

Bruce nodded in agreement. "You're not thinking about giving him back to Coulson still… right? Because after last night, it proves that you two were meant to be partners."

"We hit a breakthrough last night. He finally trusts me enough to show his vulnerability."

"Good. Because I think you need him just as much as he needs you." Bruce said with a half-smile.

2 HOURS LATER:

Gunnar jolted awake and looked around the room but it was quiet. He could see the sun shining through the cracks of the blinds and realized that he had been out for a while. The letter was quite crumpled from the events of the previous night and he tucked it under his pillow. He noticed that Steve and Bruce were gone. The glass was still on the ground so he got out of bed, picked up the biggest chunks and threw them in the bedside trash can. After getting a majority of the glass he walked out of the room in search for a vacuum but couldn't find one. He walked into the kitchen and saw Steve sitting at the table reading the newspaper.

"Good Morning!" Steve said smiling.

"Hey." He croaked. His voice was groggy from sleeping still.

"I saved you some bacon and eggs. Which let me tell you, was not easy to keep away from Thor. What is it with Asgardians and food?" Steve exclaimed.

"Thanks Cap." He said taking the plate of food from him. He set it down across from Steve and walked over to the fridge. Gunnar poured himself a glass of milk and returned to his spot at the table. He ate his breakfast quickly and typed on his phone.

Steve watched his partner multitask speedily in amazement. His understanding of technology was still limited and Gunnar made it look so easy.

"I'm going to go talk to Coulson today, so I hope you didn't have any training planned." Wells said.

"It's nothing that can't be rescheduled. I completely understand. Will you be back tonight?" Steve asked.

"Yeah I should be." Gunnar answered. They sat in a comfortable silence and then he broke it. "Thanks Cap… for staying last night. I know I haven't been the easiest person to deal with and I appreciate the patience you've given me."

"I told you that I would always be here for you. I meant it." Steve replied giving him that genuine stoic Captain America look.

LATER ON THE HELICARRIER:

Gunnar walked down one of the tight hallways and knocked on Phil Coulson's office door. He opened it and went inside.

"Agent Wells, it's nice to see you. To be honest I was surprised to hear that you wanted to talk today..." Coulson stated sitting at his desk.

Gunnar nodded in reply and sat down at one of the seats in front of his desk. He exhaled deeply and put his hands on the armrests. "I read Lena's letter." He said.

"I see. I hope that it brought you some comfort…" Coulson replied.

"She said that she was meaning to talk to me about where I came from, but to ask you about it." Gunnar explained. "So she knew also? And Ava?"

"Yes, the three of us knew about your heritage." Coulson answered.

"She wanted to tell me, didn't she. She told you to keep it from me until she had a chance to explain it herself." Gunnar alleged.

"Yes…" Coulson breathed out heavily.

Gunnar looked towards the floor and played with the thread on his armrest that was fraying.

"I'm sorry I blamed you…"

"I wanted to tell you after they passed but I needed you to focus on yourself without complicating things more than they were. I'm sorry for that but I stand by my decision." Coulson said gently.

"I understand now. I hope you can forgive my attitude. It wasn't professional… and it wasn't how I should have treated a friend." Wells looked up.

"I forgive you. It hasn't been an easy few months for you. We all have our ways of coping." Coulson stood up. "So now that you're here... do you want to help me with a few things?"

Gunnar snorted in reply. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well I have a few recruits that are in need of some experience in the bite suit." Coulson smiled and he put an arm over Gunnar's shoulder as they walked out of his office.

"Oh Coulson, I'm definitely the dog for the job." He replied with a huge smirk on his face.

NOTE: If anyone doesn't know what a bite suit is, it's a heavily padded training suit for police dogs to train in take downs. :)


	17. Chapter 17

NOTE: There's not much I have to say, but happiness is definitely around the corner from now on and there will be more action in the next chapters. Thanks again for reading everyone! I always look forward to getting reviews so if there's anything you like or dislike, feel free to tell me!

Bruce felt his phone go off in his pocket and reached down and pulled it out. He opened his messages to read the following text message:

_Hey Dr. Banner, can you tell Cap I'm going to not going to be back for a couple days? Coulson needs me to terrorize some recruits. I figured it would be easier to just text you since I've never seen Cap text… or use a phone for that matter. Thanks. -Gunnar_

After reading it, Bruce walked out of the garage where he and Tony had been working and went up to the gym. Steve spent a lot of time training and was most likely to be found there. He walked into the gym and saw Captain doing his usual boxing routine with Natasha and Clint.

"Hey Steve, Gunnar texted me and told me to pass along a message!" Bruce yelled over the punching.

Steve paused and looked over at him. "What's the message?" He asked.

"He's staying on the Helicarrier for a couple days." Bruce replied.

"Why?" Steve inquired, walking over to Bruce.

"Don't worry it's not anything to worry about. He's helping Coulson with some new recruits." Bruce assured the bigger man.

"Oh. So only a couple days?" Steve replied. "We were supposed to try out some new training techniques before our evaluation… I guess it will have to wait."

"Just be glad he's doing he's becoming himself again. It's all because of you Steve. You've been a big help to him emotionally." Bruce said confidently.

"You're right. I shouldn't worry..." Steve answered.

"I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing." Bruce said as he turned around and walked back towards the elevator. "Oh, Thor is leaving tomorrow. He's heading back to Asgard after he visits Jane."

"Thanks for telling me!" Steve yelled as he walked back to Clint and Natasha.

"No problem!" Bruce yelled before the elevator doors shut.

Steve resumed his boxing match with the punching bag and thought about the news Bruce had told him. He then focused on his workout and pushed it out of his mind.

THE NEXT DAY ON THE HELICARRIER:

Thor arrived on the flight deck of the helicarrier and went inside to find Agent Coulson. He was going to return to Asgard soon and needed to notify Shield so there were no surprises.

He walked down the main hallways trying to find him. He searched his office, galley and the bridge, but there were no signs of the older man.

He finally spotted him in a small physical training room standing next to a few fresh faces. They were all watching Gunnar taking down a subject in a bite suit. Coulson was watching with a smile on his face, while the others were had various looks of fear and uneasiness.

Thor smiled and entered the room. The recruits noticed and their eyes grew wide and one whispered to another.

Coulson yelled a command to Wells. Gunnar leaped into the air and body checked the recruit. He stood over him and pinned him while he flailed his arms underneath him unable to get up due to Gunnar and the weight of the suit. Thor laughed as Coulson ordered Wells to get off of him and stand down.

Gunnar growled and looked up at Thor. He saw him, growled in a playful way and tried to jump on him. Thor didn't budge but leaned down to pet him. Gunnar's tongue was flopping around and he was panting.

Coulson told the group to take a break and help their team member out of the suit. He walked over to Thor and Gunnar.

"Agent Coulson, I have come to tell you that my visit on Earth is almost complete. I have to say goodbye to Lady Jane and then I will be going home to Asgard." Thor stated.

"Well, as always, thank you for the help on the latest mission. I look forward to working with you again soon." Coulson stuck his hand out and Thor shook it.

"Agent Wells, I will find out any information about your family and try to come back in a timely fashion. I promise." Thor said looking down at Gunnar. "I am so glad to have met you, and you are a strong addition to the team. Take care of our Captain!"

Thor turned around and walked out. Gunnar sat looking at the door and whined a couple times before Coulson called him back over to the group. They finished training and Gunnar turned into a human to shower and head to the birthing* for the remainder of the evening.

He climbed up into his assigned bunk and laid down while he checked the messages on his phone.

_I told Cap what you asked me to. He seemed a little bummed. He was planning on training with you over the next few days before the evaluation. –Bruce_

_There will still be enough time. I'm pretty sure he's just disappointed there won't be a dog on the end of his bed at night. He acts he doesn't enjoy it. haha –Gunnar_

_Are you nervous for the evals? - Bruce_

_Nah, Cap and I have it in the bag. We work well together during training. I hope he isn't stressing over it too much. I've done similar simulations, but this will be new to him. For this type anyway… -Gunnar_

_I'm sure you two will figure it out. Tony mumbled something about if you needed your tennis ball thrown, to get him in the garage…? What was that about? Should I even ask…?" –Bruce_

_Oh that might have been about a few days ago. I may have bugged him to play fetch while in dog mode… The funny thing is, he gave in and tossed it a few times but then I got over excited and licked his hand. Lets just say it ended after that…– Gunnar_

_Haha sounds like Tony… Be safe out there! Come home soon. – Bruce_

_Alright. Talk to you in a few days. -Gunnar_

"Home." Gunnar said out loud. It was the first time he someone had called a place where he lived, home. Home was the helicarrier or a barracks room. He was coming to terms that Avengers Tower was the closest thing he had ever had to having a real house and he had mixed feelings about that.

He put his phone down next to him and fluffed the pillow. He wasn't relaxed enough to sleep because his brain wouldn't stop. He turned a few times but his body wouldn't relax. He got down from his bunk and went topside. The sun was starting to come down so he just stood looking out at the view. There was a beautiful mix of pinks and purples clashing with the orange rays slowly slipping behind the horizon. The wind was refreshing but cold and he finally felt like he could breathe. He stood there on the railing soaking in his surroundings until the sun sank below and the sky turned dark. It was peace he had been needing for a long time.

NOTE:

*Birthing- Military word for sleeping quarters, usually with stacks of bunks.

I should be getting the next chapter up by the end of the weekend. I have another essay to write for school so my updates are slowing down for a little while until I'm on break. Thank you for your patience!


	18. Chapter 18

NOTE: This chapter was absolutely a blast to write so I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did. Thank you new followers! I'm glad people get to jump in and continue this journey with me. I really appreciate all the comments and support I have gotten so far. It makes me really happy to see everyone enjoying Gunnar/Steve friendship the way I do.

3 DAYS LATER:

Gunnar walked through the elevator door of the living area in Avengers Tower and noticed how quiet it was. He walked through the hallway to his room to drop off his bag and looked for the others but they were nowhere to be found. He then realized that they would probably be doing training right now so Gunnar went ahead and morphed into dog form.

He was excited to get ready for evaluations with Steve so his dog side could not contain his excitement. He ran back down the hall wagging his tail furiously and hit the button to the elevator with his nose. He rode it down to the gym and busted through the doors.

Steve, Clint, Tony and Natasha were doing various activities and all looked pretty sweaty. Natasha was helping Steve with gymnastic moves and Clint and Tony were testing out new weapons. As soon as they saw him they stopped what they were doing to greet him.

Gunnar ran over to Steve so fast that he braced himself defensively but Gunnar stopped at the last moment and barked up at him.

Steve immediately kneeled on the ground and started ruffling and petting Wells. "Hey buddy! I missed you!" Gunnar whined and shimmied while sitting enjoying the attention from his partner.

After a couple minutes of smiling and laughing from Steve, Gunnar moved on to Natasha and Clint. They gave him a couple of quick pets and said hi.

Gunnar looked over at Tony and promptly walked over and stepped on his feet repeatedly and put his weight against his legs.

"Alright I get it. Hi." Tony said. "I'm not petting you. You just got enough attention." Gunnar looked up at him with his puppy dog eyes.

"Aw come on Stark, you can't deny how cute he is." She said with a cunning smile. Clint smirked and folded his arms.

"Alright, alright. Let's go back to what we were doing. Wells, you can join Natasha and I. She's helping me out with some moves that could help us get through the obstacle course portion of the evaluation." Steve directed as he stood up.

Gunnar barked and trotted quickly back over to Steve.

After a few hours of training they all headed up to the living quarters to replenish their stomachs and get cleaned up. Gunnar ran to his room and grabbed his tennis ball before anyone went their separate ways. Clint and Natasha sat on one of the couches talking about their plans for the rest of the evening. He dropped it at Clint's feet and whined. He sat and put his paw up and waited for Clint to pick it up.

"Steve, your dog is so needy." Clint said as he picked the ball up and threw it across the room. Gunnar happily chased it and brought it back to him while chewing on it.

Steve laughed and watched as Clint repeatedly threw the ball down the hall. He was glad to see how interactive he had become and the whole team had accepted him as one of their own.

Gunnar brought the ball back to Clint but instead of handing it to him he jumped up on the couch and proceeded to trample the two trying to lick their faces and extremities. Natasha laughed as she tried to push him over towards Clint and he tried to push Gunnar back towards her.

"Get off them Wells! Come on..." Steve groaned and rubbed his hand over his face, as he watched his partner walk over the two assassins. Steve was sitting on the floor at this point stretching out and Gunnar turned, looked at him and paused.

"No… Don't you dare!" Steve said slowly. Even if he was in dog form he could see the wheels turning in his head. Before Steve could get up Gunnar used all of his might to push off the couch and tackle Steve, biting him in a playful way. The force of the Asgardian dog pummeling into him nearly knocked the wind out of the soldier.

The two wrestled while Natasha and Clint egged Gunnar on. Tony walked in fresh from taking a shower to see the fight and spectator's yelling.

"Get him! Get him Wells!" Clint chanted.

"I was gone for 10 minutes and this happens!" Tony yelled over the ruckus. He stood watching his teammates make fools of themselves, but enjoyed watching Gunnar kick the crap out of the Golden Boy.

Bruce had been in the study when he decided it was time for a meal. He arrived down in the living room to find Natasha and Clint laughing at the duo on the floor breathing hard and glowing with sweat.

"It stinks in here. What have you guys been doing? I thought we had a workout room for a reason?" Bruce said with a scrunched up nose and grossed out expression.

"Yeah we should really get cleaned up for dinner." Clint replied looking at his watch. He stood up and walked back to his room. Natasha and Steve followed suit and Gunnar happily rubbed his body on the carpet with his tongue flopping in every direction.

"Don't rub your body on the carpet! We went over this before Wells!" Tony exclaimed. Gunnar ignored him which Tony assumed was out of spite.

"Wells. Go shower." Bruce demanded in a gentle but stern way. Gunnar immediately stopped and ran off into his room.

"Figures he listens to you…" Stark mumbled.

Bruce smirked and shook his head.

TWO WEEKS LATER:

Steve and Gunnar had trained hard all week in preparation for their evaluation. Fury decided it was necessary to see how well they had adapted to each other and wanted to test their skills as partners. It was now 12 hours until Coulson would pick them up to take them over to a designated field testing area. They would be put through 3 scenarios. An obstacle course, a search and rescue scene and hand to hand combat.

While training during the past 2 weeks, Steve was sure that they were going to excel in all three areas because they had worked hard to prepare. He was also connecting with Gunnar on an emotional level and had become close in the past weeks. He was ready to impress his fellow agents and director but as it got closer he started to get a bit anxious.

As Steve was getting ready for bed his nerves picked up a little. It wasn't anything he couldn't control but he was hoping it wouldn't keep him from sleeping.

Gunnar nudged open Steve's door and casually jumped up on his bed. He laid down in his usual spot exhaled loudly.

"You're nervous too aren't you bud?" Steve said as he sat down next to his partner. Gunnar replied by letting out a single whine.

"We got this. It'll be great. We've practiced and we know what we're doing." Steve reassured him as he moved to get under the covers. "You want to stay in here tonight?" He asked.

Gunnar stood up and turned in a circle to get comfortable. He flopped down and tucked his tail around his face and paws.

They listened to the comforting sounds of each others deep breathing and fell asleep fairly quickly. Neither of them had trouble sleeping that night.

NOTE: So next chapter will be the evaluations and I'm so excited to write some more action! I will get it up within the next couple days, for those of you who are anxiously waiting. Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

NOTE: I'm really sorry I haven't been on here in almost two weeks. I went on vacation for spring break and then I've been cleaning my apartment and wedding planning for the last few days. As promised this will be an action packed chapter along with the next! I can't wait to hear from y'all. I got great response last chapter and I really appreciate the reviews. Have fun!

THE NEXT MORNING:

Coulson arrived on top of Avengers Tower around 7 AM to take Captain and Well's to their field evaluation. He was slightly worried about how well they would work together. He knew they had a bumpy start to their friendship and he was hoping they had figured everything out.

He stepped out into the main hallway from the landing zone outside and saw Captain and Gunnar packing their Shield bags in the living room. They weren't allowed to have any weapons or equipment except for Steve's shield and Gunnar's suit.

"Almost ready you two?" Coulson asked.

"Yes sir!" Steve answered.

"Alright, as soon as you two are finished we will head out." He said.

They quickly finished packing, zipped up their bags, grabbed jackets and followed Coulson out onto the roof to board the quinjet. As soon as they boarded Gunnar checked his phone. He saw a couple text messages:

_Don't screw up. –Tony_

_Good luck today. I know you guys will do great. Keep Cap safe. You stay safe as well. –Bruce_

Gunnar rolled his eyes at what Tony said but he knew it was his way of saying good luck. He replied back to Bruce.

_Thanks Doc. We will. – Gunnar_

He turned his phone off after he sent the message and smiled to himself. He was ready for this.

"So what kind of fun surprises do you have lined up for us, eh Phil?" Gunnar asked putting a sarcastic emphasis on "fun."

"You know I can't tell you…" Coulson replied.

"It was worth a shot." Gunnar said.

"I'm sure whatever they have lined up for us, we'll be fine." Steve reassured him.

"We won't be fine. We're going to KICK ASS!" Gunnar said getting pumped.

"Calm down there partner." Steve laughed.

"Alright this is how it's going to work. Gunnar, you're going to stay in dog form the entire time. You aren't allowed to be human for this exercise. If you do change back other than for an emergency then you will automatically be disqualified and we will stop the test. There will be three parts with a 10 minute break in between each. The first one will be hand to hand combat. You will face 2 other agents together and use appropriate techniques. The second will be a mock search and rescue scene. You will be given 30 minutes to find a group of stranded agents in a 5 mile radius and provide them with support. The last will be an obstacle course. There are 10 obstacles of various structures and be racing against the clock. The faster you complete this section, the better your score. Do I make myself clear?" Coulson explained.

"Roger that sir." Gunnar replied.

"Yes sir." Steve said with confidence.

They were all silent the rest of the ride which was only 45 minutes, and Gunnar morphed into a dog while they prepared to land.

Gunnar and Steve walked off the jet and looked at their surroundings. It was a quiet forested area with a decent sized building. On the right side there was an area clear of trees, and stood the obstacle course. There were logs that trimmed the perimeter and the area was covered in sand.

They walked inside the building and there were a few agents bustling about getting ready for the event. The entry was open and bright. There was a main training area and a loft above for spectators. Steve saw a medical room off to one side, and another room with large computers which he assumed was for analyzing and scoring. Gunnar stayed close to his side as they checked everything out.

"You can set your bags down over there." Coulson pointed to one of the wall. "We'll get started in a few minutes." Steve was holding onto Gunnar's as well as his. He walked over and gently put them down.

"Alright, you have 15 minutes to get warmed up on the mat and then we can begin." He instructed.

Steve did some stretching while Gunnar jogged around the large mat a few times and they did a couple of acrobatic moves to get their blood flowing. He also put his hand wraps on while they were waiting.

15 MINUTES LATER:

Gunnar and Steve met their opponents in the middle of the mat. They were facing two young male agents. One was almost as bulky as Steve and the other looked much leaner and faster. It seemed to be evenly matched. They were both pumped and ready to go with hand wraps already on. They seemed excited to go up against the legend himself.

Steve shook their hands with a tight grip and Gunnar put up a paw signaling that he was ready. Another young, fit agent dressed in gym clothes came over to referee while Coulson and a couple other senior agents stood with tablets along the side lines. He made eye contact with everyone.

"Go until I say stop." He paused. "Ready? On my mark." He said putting the whistle to his mouth.

They all nodded in unison getting in their defensive stances, and he blew the whistle while stepping back quickly.

The bigger agent took a swing at Cap, but he quickly ducked down to a crouched position. Gunnar lunged out of the way from a round house kick from the smaller agent and launched himself off the ground and proceeded to knock down the bigger guy. He hit the ground hard and Gunnar stood on top of his chest to keep him down. The smaller man got his arms around Gunnar and used his weight to roll him off and pinned him to the ground.

By this time the bigger man had gotten up and he and Steve were in a boxing match. Gunnar slid out from underneath his attacker and tired him out while Steve made the bigger guy collapse. Steve then kicked the smaller agent square in the gut just as the ref blew the whistle.

Steve helped both of their opponents up off the padded floor and was glad to see them smiling. He was hoping he didn't hurt either of them.

"That was awesome." The smaller agent said out of breath.

"Thanks for a great match." Steve replied.

"10 minutes until the mock rescue mission. The starting point is right over there where the red flags are. Follow me. " Coulson said loudly as he walked over. They looked outside the window and saw where they were going to be headed next.

"You ready boy? This is going to be all you." Steve asked Gunnar.

Gunnar barked several times and they followed Coulson outside ready for their next test.

NOTE: I will be getting back to my timely chapters now, so thank you for being patient! Hope everyone liked this scene.


	20. Chapter 20

NOTE: Thanks for those of you who reviewed. I really appreciate it! I'm glad to be back on a regular schedule and will try my best to start updating every few days again. I'm so excited for these next few chapters. If anyone has ideas or things they want to see happen, I don't mind considering and getting feedback! I tried to explain this chapter as best as I could, but as most of you know, writing action isn't the easiest thing. So sorry for any mistakes!

Steve and Gunnar stood at the starting point for the mock rescue. Gunnar swung his tail violently back and forth. The same agent that conducted the last test stood next to Coulson getting their tablets ready and talking over the communication device.

"Alright you two, we have a perimeter marked with these red flags, so stay within the boundaries. You have 30 minutes to locate a group of 3 stranded agents in this heavily wooded area. Here are your tracking devices. There is an emergency com that is built in if you need to use it." The agent said while handing them to Steve.

His looked like a watch band so he put it on his left wrist and tightened it. Gunnar's device was flat and had a carabineer that could attach to his vest, so he leaned over and clipped it on him.

"Ready?" he said.

"Roger that." Steve replied. "Let's do this..." He said with determination looking down at his partner.

"5…4…3…2…1… Begin!" he yelled.

Gunnar took off running with his nose close to the ground. Steve almost had a hard time keeping up with the Asgardian's pace. He had never run long distance with him before. He was just going to let Gunnar do his thing and keep up as best as he could.

They jumped over a couple wide streams and logs here and there. They had been running for a few minutes and Gunnar was tracking smells and sounds at an incredibly fast rate.

After almost 15 minutes of Steve sprinting behind Well's they found the three agents and one of them called into Coulson that they had arrived on scene. They tended to their "needs" and when they were done, the agent running that portion had called time. They were instructed to head back to the staging area where they had started to complete the last task.

Steve thought his partner would walk back to Coulson, but he was wrong. Gunnar was so pumped and over stimulated he took off and Steve followed suit.

They arrived back at the edge of the forest to where Coulson and the others were waiting for them. Coulson laughed in his head at the sight of Gunnar bounding and leaping with the super soldier trailing close behind.

10 MINUTES LATER:

"This last test will be the hardest." Coulson said to Wells and Captain at the start of the obstacle course. "There's a surprise."

Steve lifted his eyebrow in curiosity and Gunnar cocked his head to one side.

"We're injecting you with a special muscle and nerve serum. Both of your metabolisms are fast, so it will only last 20-30 minutes. We want to test how well you can do things while incapacitated, while still working together." He explained.

A couple of medical agents were on standby next to him preparing the injections. Gunnar's ears immediately went down because he didn't enjoy getting shots.

"As soon as we inject you, it'll take about 15 seconds to take effect and you may start the course. Alright?" Coulson asked.

"Yes sir." Steve replied.

They walked over to the starting line of the course and Steve rolled up his sleeve. The medical team came over and administered the injections in both of them. After a few seconds Steve definitely noticed a difference in his body. It basically felt like he was drunk. He could see Gunnar swaying and having a difficult time standing upright even with 4 legs.

"Ready, set, go!" the agent playing referee yelled.

Steve tried to jog to the first obstacle as best as he could but the side effects were stronger than he thought. Gunnar was right beside him though. The first challenge was to get over a hurtle, made out of logs that went up to Cap's chest. Steve made sure Gunnar jumped over it first and he followed.

Since Gunnar didn't have opposable thumbs the course had been modified where some of the obstacles were split. Next up was a ramp that went up fairly high for Gunnar, and Steve had a high wall to get up and over. The ramp was skinny so any misstep would result in him falling from quite an elevated point. They both got over them without any huge problems.

The next task was getting over a large water pit. There was a rope for Steve to use but the challenge would be getting Gunnar over since he couldn't exactly hang on to a rope. He would have to launch him over.

Okay buddy, get a running start and I'll put my hands out to give you a boost just like we practiced." Steve said as he crouched down.

Gunnar did as he was told and it was a beautiful display of teamwork. He barely cleared the water but he made it. Steve swung over and landed on his feet but the motion of everything combined with being drugged made him fall on his butt. Gunnar whined and yanked on his sleeve. He knew he couldn't stop now.

"I know bud, you're right, we gotta keep going." He said and stood up slowly.

They moved to the next challenge and pressed on. The next one was a tunnel barely big enough for Steve. They both got down one at a time to crawl through it. Steve went first and found 2 mock wire traps that were made out of fishing line instead. It was quite a long dark tunnel and would have been terrifying if either one of them had been claustrophobic. When they finally got out of it Steve was starting to feel slightly better. They effects were starting to wear off.

The last challenge looked daunting while being drugged. There were assorted sizes of poles with small stepping pads on top, which gradually went up to 2 stories high, and then back down again. Gunnar took the lead on this one. They slowly made their way up to the highest peak. As soon as they reached it, Steve looked down. It wouldn't kill either of them but it would hurt if they fell. This was the ultimate balance test.

One of Gunnar's paws slipped off a pad but he caught himself. He looked back at Steve who looked white as a ghost. Seeing his partner almost fall scared the shit out of him. They made their way back down to the ground. All they had to do now was run to the finish line.

The drugs had almost completely worn off by this point and they crossed the finish line quickly.

"Nice work you two. We're going to take a break to discuss the events and results and then we will go over it all together. I need both of you to go to the medical room to get checked out and cleared. You might not feel the effects anymore but we want to be sure everything is out of your system." He said and motioned the agents to go back into the building with him.

Steve kneeled down to Gunnar's level. "Good job boy, we did awesome! Thanks for being such a great partner." He said happily and ruffled the fur on his head. Gunnar wagged his tail and licked Steve's hand. They walked back over to the building together feeling accomplished but glad they were finished. Now they just had to wait for the results and see how they measured up.

NOTE: Hope that made sense! I will be getting the next chapter up by Friday at the latest. Thanks for reading. I always appreciate reviews!


	21. Chapter 21

NOTE: To whoever wrote me the guest review on the last chapter, thank you! I'm actually quite picky about OC's also, so I try to incorporate the regulars as much as possible. I don't like drifting off too much about Gunnar because I don't want people to be turned off or get bored. Since there has been so much drama and action the last few chapters, this one is going to be a lighter chapter. I also noticed that I completely forgot Pepper the entire story. She's just around. haha

BACK AT AVENGER'S TOWER:

It was late afternoon by the time Steve and Gunnar had arrived back at the tower. Natasha had gotten called out on a mission that morning and would be due back within a week.

After they had changed back into civilian clothing, Steve joined Gunnar who was sprawled out comfortably on one of the couches in the living room. Bruce also came down from his study and joined them.

"So how did it go?" the doctor asked.

"Coulson said we did great. We didn't set a course record or anything but he said we have made real progress and we get to stay partners. Now we have proven what we can do together, I'm no longer on probation." Gunnar replied.

"Great, I'm glad you get to stay." Bruce said with a smile.

"So am I." Gunnar concluded.

At that moment Tony walked in and Gunnar repeated the news.

"Well I think we need to celebrate." Tony said as he started making his way to the bar.

"No drinks, Stark." Steve warned.

"Why not, the kid did great!" Tony exclaimed. "He deserves a little something."

"He just got off probation. We don't need give Coulson reasons to put him back on…" Steve said with concern.

"I have a 30 year single malt scotch that would be perfect." Tony replied.

Gunnar looked at him with wide eyed desire. "At least I'm not underage…" He mumbled.

Steve stood up and walked out of the room down towards his bedroom. He decided it would be the perfect time to sit out on the balcony and draw. He wanted to unwind and enjoy his break. They had worked hard the last few weeks and he was ready to enjoy silence and relaxation.

When Steve was out of ear shot, Tony moved closer to Gunnar and said: "Grab Barton and meet me on the roof after dinner."

The sun was going down when Steve finally stood up from the lounge chair on his balcony. He decided it was time to go get something to eat and find Wells.

He headed into the kitchen and it looked as though everyone had already eaten. Since Thor and Natasha were gone, they didn't eat together for every meal and usually just fended for themselves. He made himself a couple sandwiches and sat down at the table. After reading the paper he noticed nobody was around. Usually in the evening they would be in and out of the living room or doing something as a team.

He checked all the rooms and couldn't find anyone until he reached Bruce's room. He was sitting on his oversized chair reading a thick novel.

"Hey, where are the others?" Steve asked.

Bruce sighed and closed his book partially. "Don't be mad…" Bruce said calmly.

"What are they doing?" He replied hastily.

"They're on the roof… celebrating…" Bruce answered.

"Damnit, Stark!" He said angrily.

"I made them promise to take it easy!" Bruce interjected and after Steve stomped off, he shook his head. "I hope I don't have to fix anyone up tonight." He said to himself.

Steve could hear the hooting and shouting as he got closer to the doors to the roof. He opened them and wasn't surprised by what he saw. There was a 24 pack of IPA's on the table and a couple bottles of liquor. A few bottles of the beer had already been emptied and scattered about. Gunnar was sitting against one of the buildings vents and Tony and Clint were sitting on the lounge furniture.

"What did I say?" Steve asked.

They all just started laughing and then Gunnar shushed them and said "We're being careful Cap, I promise."

"I specifically said no drinking tonight." He replied.

"I've had 3 beers. I'm Asgardian! I'm fine…" He said with a smile.

"Lighten up on him Cap. He deserves a night of fun." Tony said raising his glass of scotch in the air. "Join us Captain! I know you can't get drunk, but these drinks are delicious."

"No thanks Tony." He answered.

"Aww come on Cap!" Clint whined. "At least stay up here with us and have some fun."

"I guess you guys do need a babysitter… Fine. I'll stay. But I'm not drinking anything." He gave in and pulled up a seat next to them.

"I brought up a 6 pack of root beer just in case you came up." Gunnar said. He popped the cap off and handed it to Steve.

"Thanks bud."

"I'd like to propose a toast, to Wells and our dear Cap here, for not screwing up their test and being an awesome team!" Clint shouted. They clinked their glasses and chugged down their drinks.

SEVERAL DRINKS LATER:

"I just had the best idea ever. You two could go by… Captain America and Spangles! It's perfect because it goes together. You're a team!" Clint drunkenly said.

"That's right Wells! You don't have a codename. I personally agree that Spangles is fitting…" Stark slurred.

"Really guys? Spangles? That's the best you can come up with?" Gunnar said tipsily.

Steve was starting to regret coming up here, but at least he could keep an eye on them.

"I like it." Clint said.

"Me too." Tony agreed.

"I'm too tipsy right now to fight back…" Gunnar replied. He stood up and swayed as he got another tumbler full of scotch.

"I think you guys are done." Steve said.

"No Steveeeee! We're having fun!" Gunnar whined.

The conversation died down and they were enjoying the silence and view of the night sky.

Breaking the silence Gunnar said "I'm glad to be here guys. Really, I love living here and I love all of you."

"You are so done. Come on, let's get you to bed." Steve answered with a laugh.

"I can go by myself thank you." He said with a huff. He morphed into a dog and nearly fell over

He let out a tremendous howl and everyone looked surprised.

"That's new." Tony said.

"Goodnight Spangles!" Clint yelled.

Gunnar stumbled down the hall and disappeared down the stairs to the living area.

"I guess we should call it quits too…" Clint said as he got up. Steve cleaned up the bottles and watched Tony and Clint disappear downstairs.

When he got down to the living room a few minutes later, Clint was waiting for him.

"Your dog is in my bed…" Clint laughed.

"I'm sorry, do you want me to try and wake him up?" Steve asked.

"I wouldn't go in there." He said with a smile.

"Why not?" Steve inquired.

"Because he morphed back into a human, and he's buck ass nude." Clint laughed. "I'm just going to sleep in Nat's room since she's still gone."

"Thanks Clint." He said and then headed to his room. He left his door open just in case one of the drunks got sick or needed him.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he sighed and fell asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

NOTE: Haven't heard from anyone about requests or idea's they would like to see happen. So I guess I'll just keep hammering away! Glad to see I'm still picking up a couple followers here and there. Thank you for taking an interest. I have some awesome stuff planned for the next major plot line, so I'm sorry if it's a little boring. I'm leading up to another climax, and it will get really exciting.

3 WEEKS LATER:

It was now the beginning of December and Steve, Natasha and Gunnar were enjoying a walk in the nearby park. The air was cold and they were wrapped up in jackets and enjoying the holiday lights strung on every tree they passed on the path; Except for Gunnar because he was enjoying frolicking in the snow in dog form. It was an unleashed dog area so they didn't have to worry about people wondering why he was so well behaved or hassle with using a leash.

"It's going to be his first Christmas without Lena and Ava, you know." Natasha told Steve when Wells was up ahead and busy playing.

"I know. He'll get through it though, just like I did." Steve answered. "Last year was pretty rough but I got through it because I had you."

"He's so much happier since the week he arrived at the tower. All because of you…" She replied. "I mean look at him. He's an adult playing in the snow…" She laughed.

"It wasn't just me. All of us have made an impact on his well being. I can't take all the credit." He said.

"I think you can." She retorted. He looked at her and smiled because he could no longer argue with her. He knew he and Gunnar had a strong bond.

They continued walking down the path watching people as they passed and enjoyed the comfortable chatting. They stopped along the way at a coffee stand for hot chocolate and Gunnar came running over to them panting and wiggling his entire body with excitement.

"Can I please pet your puppy?" A little boy ran up to Steve and Natasha and asked politely.

Steve had never been in this situation but Gunnar sat next to the boy and rubbed his face against his hand.

"Sure! As long as you throw this for him." Steve leaned down to their level and handed the kid Gunnar's tennis ball.

"What's his name?" The boy asked.

"His name is Spangles." Steve said holding back a laugh. Natasha looked at him slightly puzzled.

"He's so cute!" The boy giggled and Gunnar let him pet his head.

"Come on Spangles, got get it!" He threw the ball towards the snow covered grass and Gunnar took off and the boy followed suit.

"He has so much energy!" Natasha commented.

"I know. Sometimes it amazes me." Steve laughed.

"When is Thor supposed to be back?" She asked.

"Hopefully he'll be here for the holidays. I know Well's is expecting him to bring back information about his biological family." He replied.

"I hope he finds what he's looking for…" She said.

"I just hope he isn't disappointed if Thor doesn't have any answers. Or worse, he brings bad news…" Steve answered.

"Everything will be fine as long as you're there when he needs you." She reassured him.

"I can do that." He said with a smile.

Gunnar came running up to Steve and Natasha wagging his tail and completely drenched from rolling around in the snow.

"I think it's time to head back bud. I don't want you to freeze now that you're all wet." Steve commented.

"So why did you say his name was Spangles?" Natasha asked.

"Long story… you don't want to know." He answered.

Well's barked and they headed back towards the tower.

BACK AT AVENGER'S TOWER:

Well's changed back into human form and went to the kitchen for a snack. He asked Jarvis where Steve was and headed down to the gym to tell him something important.

He walked into the gym and Steve motioned to him to get his gloves on. "Let's go a few rounds Wells!" He shouted over the music playing on the speaker system. Gunnar jogged over to his locker and wrapped up his hands quickly.

"You sure you can handle me?" Gunnar smirked.

"Let's find out." Steve replied.

"I wouldn't want you to get hurt!" Gunnar responded. He walked over to the mats and they started sparring. What Well's lacked in height, he made up for in speed. Not being nearly as bulky as Captain occasionally worked in his advantage.

Steve ended up pinning him to the ground with brute force and Gunnar put his hands up in defeat. They were both sweating at this point and sat on the mats panting.

"Christmas is in a few weeks." Well's stated.

"What are your plans?" Steve asked.

"I guess stay I'll be staying here unless Coulson pulls me in for a mission." He replied.

"Well we should plan some kind of celebration. Do something festive as a group." Steve suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Gunnar said and then paused. "Steve, I wanted to tell you something."

"What is it?" He asked.

"You can call me Gunnar." He replied.

"I thought you didn't want anyone to call you that?" Steve inquired.

"Lena and Ava were the only ones that called me that… and I was afraid to let someone else get close to me the way they were. But I have to let go of the past. I can't keep fighting the ghosts. I don't want to be alone and close myself off from everyone…" He said fighting back the emotion.

"I understand. Thank you for trusting me, I know that's not easy." Steve replied.

"Let's go get cleaned up for dinner. I'm cooking tonight!" Gunnar said as he stood up.

"Alright." He replied.

"Oh, and half the reason I want you to call me Gunnar is so you can stop calling me Spangles." Gunnar answered.

"That was really funny though." Steve laughed as they headed back up on the elevator to the living area.


	23. Chapter 23

NOTE: I received a bunch of review from the previous chapter which was definitely a pleasant surprise. Thank you to everyone who made my night. I appreciate the kind words. I don't have much to say, so I hope you enjoy this next installment.

2 WEEKS LATER:

Thor arrived at the tower late one night, a week from Christmas. He planned on spending the holiday's with Jane since it was an important tradition and he hadn't seen her for a while. He had to stop by the tower to check in and talk to Gunnar. Everyone except Tony had been asleep for a couple hours. He was still up working on his latest project. He headed off to his room for the night and decided it would be more appropriate to wait than to bust down Gunnar's room door and announce his presence.

Gunnar heard heavy footsteps beyond his closed door and smelled Thor's distinct scent. He hadn't been sleeping well lately due to the fact that he was going to get answers about his true heritage. He had been patient for a majority of the time but the closer Christmas got, he became more anxious and nervous. Now that Thor had arrived, there would be little chance of him sleeping the rest of the night.

He knew he had taken a huge chance on letting his guard down enough to let Steve call him by his first name. Since he had worked for Shield basically his entire life, there had always been a formality of being called "Agent Wells."It was the only thing he knew being raised in such an environment. Lena and Ava had been his only family therefore he was only use to them calling him Gunnar when they weren't on duty. Letting Steve do the same was hard for him.

Every morning since the evaluations, Gunnar would beat down Steve's door at precisely 6 AM (with the exception of the night he, Tony and Clint had drank on the roof), trample him until he got up and waited for him to get ready for their morning gym routine. Steve had gotten use to his furry personal alarm clock and found that even though it wasn't the most calming way to start his day, he still enjoyed the enthusiasm of his partner.

Steve woke up the next morning, rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 7:27 AM. His curiosity immediately broke him out of his hazy state and realized Gunnar had not come in. He got up quickly and opened his door and looked down the hall. Everyone's doors were open including Gunnar's and he heard faint talking coming down the hall from the kitchen. He walked down towards the sound and found Natasha, Clint and Bruce drinking their morning coffee and eating breakfast.

"Morning Cap." Clint offered.

"Morning. Have you seen Gunnar by any chance…?" He asked everyone.

"He's on the roof talking to Thor. I guess he brought back news." Bruce interjected.

"Alright then, I'll wait until they come back down. Is there anymore coffee left?" He inquired.

"Another pot is almost done." Clint replied.

"Thanks." He said quietly as he got a clean mug down from the cupboard. His mind was racing at the anticipation of talking to Gunnar about what he had found out from Thor. When the coffee was done the machine beeped and he wasted no time to pour himself a fresh steaming cup.

Steve took his time making breakfast and reading the paper. He parked himself where he could see the stairs that lead up to the roof and mentally cursed himself for being nosey. But he convinced himself that since he was the leader that he should know any problems that aroused.

It was an hour later when Gunnar and Thor came back down from the roof. He had his hands tucked in his sweatpants and he didn't even look Steve's way. He immediately knew something was off but he didn't want pry so he decided to wait to talk to him. Thor walked over to Steve and sat down next to him.

"Nice to see you just in time for Christmas, Thor. When are you leaving to see Jane?" He asked.

"After I check in with Agent Coulson in a few days." He said flatly which was strange for him.

"Is everything okay…?" He asked.

"Everything is as good as it can be." He replied and then stood back up and headed to the kitchen.

Steve waited a few more minutes and then headed down the hallway to knock on Gunnar's door. "You want to meet me in the gym Gunnar?" He asked through the door.

"I'll be down in 15 minutes." He answered with little to no emotion in his voice.

Steve recognized that voice. It was the same one he used when he first arrived at the tower. Stoic and cold. The very thing he was afraid of when he saw Gunnar's body language coming down from the roof.

Steve headed down to the gym and waited. He waited for 20 minutes, then 30 and when 45 minutes came around, he raced back upstairs. He opened Gunnar's door without knocking and found that his few belongings had been packed and he was gone.

Steve ran down the hallway yelling "Gunnar's gone! Did anyone see him leave?!" He alerted Jarvis to request everyone's presence in the living room because there was an emergency.

Tony stumbled down from his suite half awake and they quickly gathered, asking Steve what the big emergency was and how it could be more important than his sleep.

"He's gone. He packed his stuff and left. I don't know where he went. Did anyone see him leave?" He asked with panic in his voice.

"I didn't see him." Bruce said.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked.

"We didn't see him either." Natasha and Clint replied and shook their heads.

"His bag is missing and his bed is made. Where could he have gone?" Steve demanded.

Everyone was silent and Tony brought the footage up on the surveillance system. "He left 40 minutes ago. He couldn't have gotten far." Tony said.

"What happened Thor? Why would he leave without telling me?" Steve questioned.

"Because he found out he has no biological family… Well, not one that wants him back." He replied. "He asked me not to reveal too much information…"

"Screw that, I need to know what happened!" He yelled.

A few minutes later and Clint got a phone call from Phil Coulson.

"Everyone can stop worrying, he's safe. He's with Coulson on the helicarrier. He's just concerned as to why he showed up and he says he saw him unpack his stuff into his old rack." He reassured everyone.

"Not for long." Steve said as he grabbed his jacket.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going to go get him." He replied sarcastically.

"I think you should let him cool off, Steve." Bruce said putting his hands up.

"He's out there right now, feeling like he doesn't have a family or anyone to talk to." He replied.

Nobody said a word or tried to stop him.

"I'm bringing him home." He said right before the elevator doors shut.

NOTE: Little bit of a cliffhanger but there won't be too much drama next chapter. It will be intense but not a lot of anger. More like bitterness. You'll also get to find out what happened between Thor and Gunnar! I'll post it in a few days.


	24. Chapter 24

NOTE: So if you read my previous note at the end of the last chapter, I said that there wouldn't be a lot of drama. I decided to go a different direction. There will be a little drama scene but still intense like I promised. There also will be some anger but mostly bitterness. It's also longer then the last few chapters! Hope y'all like it.

Steve almost knocked down an agent because he was walking with determination down the hallway towards Coulson's office on the helicarrier. This was a very unusual mood for the Captain to be in because he was known for being kind and courteous most of the time.

"Where is he?" He demanded. "…Sir."

"Tell me what happened first. Why is your partner moving back into his bunk and volunteering for a mission on his own?" Coulson asked calmly.

"Look, I don't know what happened. Thor turned up last night and they talked. Next thing I know, he blew me off and his stuff is gone. That's all I know. Something Thor said to him must have gotten to him." He responded.

"I see. Well, I'm leaving it up to you to sort this out." Said Coulson. "I can't deny him a mission but if he's emotionally unstable, I need to know so I can take him off the active duty roster."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary. So can you tell me where he is?" Steve asked.

"He's sparring with a couple agents in the training room." He answered.

"Thanks." He said as he briskly turned around and left his office. He walked down the hall and down some stairs to another hallway that led him to the entry of the training room. Through the glass doors he saw something he thought he never would see.

Gunnar was in his dog form pinning down an agent with his jaws around his neck. The agent looked terrified to move and the other was standing near them with his hands up trying not to make any sudden movements.

Steve walked in cautiously and told the agent standing to get out.

"Gunnar. Off." He yelled.

Gunnar didn't budge and let out a low growl. The agent who was pinned down was trying to keep his composure like he had been taught.

"Gunnar. If you don't get off of him, I'll take you down." He demanded. He thought about drawing the gun he always had hidden on him but his instincts told him he could handle it without force.

Gunnar looked up and a few moments later he slowly lifted his jaws off and stepped down. The agent rolled a few feet away and then stood up.

"You okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We were just training and went a little overboard."

"What happened?" Coulson asked as he jogged through the door.

"Nothing, it was just a misunderstanding." The agent said.

"Is that true Rogers?" He asked.

He paused for a moment looking at the other agent. "Yes, it's true."

Coulson stared him down for a few seconds and then made eye contact with everyone while he walked out. The other agent walked out after he left and Steve was standing in the emptied out room with Gunnar.

"We need to talk." Steve said seriously.

Gunnar turned back into a human, Steve was thankful he was wearing his suit.

"What the hell was that?" He asked trying to contain his anger and frustration.

"It's called training." Gunnar said coldly.

"Oh, so that's what that was? Because to me, it looked like you were about to seriously injure another agent!" He could feel his emotions slipping out of control.

"I wasn't going to kill him." He replied.

"Well I'm glad I came in when I did because it sure looked like you were going to!" He yelled. "You're lucky that agent covered you. You just better pray that Coulson doesn't go looking at the footage to see what happened! What were you thinking?!"

Gunnar didn't answer him and there was silence for a minute before he started talking again.

"What happened, Gunnar?" He asked. "What happened this morning on the roof with Thor?"

"It doesn't matter." He tried to blow him off.

"It matters to me. One minute I'm waiting for you at the gym, then you never come and I'm frantically searching the tower! Then I find your room empty and nobody knows where you are. Do you understand how scared I was? I thought something bad had happened to you." He lectured.

"Well I'm fine. It doesn't make a difference if I tell you what happened." He replied.

"Come with me, now." Steve stated.

Gunnar followed him to one of the few lounge area's on the large helicarrier and closed the door and locked it.

"Tell me what happened." He said controlling his tone to be gentler.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Gunnar asked.

"You're my partner. We've made so much progress the last few months and now all of the sudden, you're shutting me out. Please don't do this. I want to help you." Steve replied. "Do you think you're the only one who has ever lost a partner?"

"You can't help me Steve!" He yelled and then his face told him that he immediately regretted lashing out.

Steve's eyes pleaded him to open up and Gunnar flopped down ungracefully on the couch next to him.

"Thor found my biological family. Or, at least the line of wargs I belong to." He started saying.

"But isn't that a good thing?" He questioned.

"My father was Asgardian, and my mother was human. That's why I'm not as strong as Thor but I still have the shifting ability." Gunnar answered.

"Oh." He chimed in.

"My father is dead. He was killed after they found out he had betrayed the pack and had relations with a human. Since I'm the only known half breed, they left me here on Earth. I'm not welcome to be a part of the pack. Thor couldn't get any more information from them. They wouldn't tell him why I have a warg tattoo if I'm not a part of the pack. I don't know anything about my mother. I don't know anything about my life before Shield. I've looked at my files and my life is only documented as far back as to the day they got custody of me. It's like I didn't exist until then." He said.

Steve sat there soaking up all the information that had just been thrown at him. He rubbed his hand over his face trying to think of an answer.

"That's just not fair." Were the only words he could say.

"After all these years of searching and wondering about where I came from, turns out I do have a family. They just don't want me. I never pictured that they would disown me…" He said shakily.

"You'll always have a family, Gunnar." Steve said and put his hand on his partner's shoulder and Gunnar looked away.

"I mean it. You will always have a place at the tower with us. I know we've only been partners for a few months, but you mean a lot to me." Steve stated. "We have all grown attached to you. It doesn't matter if you aren't blood. We all take care of each other."

"Will you help me find out what happened?" He asked.

"I'll be there every step of the way." He reassured him.

"Since I'm the only known half warg, they don't know why I turn into a german shepherd and not a wolf. Thor thinks it's because I'm half human, but anything is possible." Gunnar commented.

"We'll find out everything we can. Thor can keep digging and so will we." Steve replied.

"I still want to stay here on the helicarrier for a while." He told him.

"But Christmas is in less than a week, and we're having a party. It wouldn't be the same if you weren't there." He objected.

"Lena, Ava and I always celebrated Christmas together. I'm not going to be in a party mood. It's better if I just sit this one out." Gunnar replied.

"We can start a new tradition. You and me. We'll do something fun together." He tried to get him to perk up. "Besides the team is going to worry if I don't bring you home."

"I don't know…" He said warily.

"Please? If you can't do it for me, then do it for the rest of the team." He asked.

Gunnar sat thinking about Steve's proposition and then said "I'll go back to the tower on one condition. If I decide to be alone, you have to leave me be."

"Deal. Now, go get your bag and meet me topside. I'm going to tell Coulson that you're coming back with me." Steve ordered nicely. "And Gunnar? Don't ever do this again. If you have a problem, come talk to me."

Gunnar nodded and got up to go get his belongings and Steve walked down the hall feeling a sense of relief. He headed back down to Coulson's office and entered his office to tell him the good news.

"You're partner attacked another agent and you decided it would be better not to tell your supervisor?" Coulson asked.

"I can explain." He replied.

Just then an explosion rang out and they immediately dropped to the floor to find cover.


	25. Chapter 25

NOTE: Now you guys get to find out what happened with the explosion! I loved writing this chapter. I'm excited to see what everyone thinks. Got an extra long chapter just because I'm happy with how it's going. That's all!

After the explosion ended, smoke drifted and filled the hallway outside of Coulson's office.

"What was that!?" Steve yelled over the alarms. They opened his office door and Phil stealthily peeked out.

"I don't know! It looks like it might have come from the lab!" Coulson replied. "We need to evacuate this area of the carrier. "I'm alerting your team. Who knows what kind of damage we're dealing with!" He said as he typed on his phone. "They should be here within a matter of minutes."

"I need to find Agent Well's!" Steve said with slight panic in his voice.

"First we need to get people out. I'm sure he's alright." Coulson said reassuringly.

Steve nodded and they stood outside his office ushering people to meet on the top deck while helping a few injured people walk up the stairs towards safety.

The annoyingly loud alarms finally stopped and the rest of the team showed up not long after that.

"What happened?" Clint, Natasha, Tony and Thor were standing and waiting for their orders.

"All we know is that something in the lab exploded and whole ceiling caved, blocking the other section of the carrier. We don't know how many people are trapped back there." Coulson responded.

"We can't find Agent Well's and we don't know if he's one of the trapped or if he's up top. Last time I saw him he was heading to the berthing but he could have stopped along the way." Steve said.

"Thor, Stark and Steve, we're going to need help clearing the wreckage. Agent Barton and Romanoff, can you two go topside and find out who else is missing and see if Dr. Banner needs any help?" He asked and everyone nodded in agreement.

Clint was about to leave when Steve pulled him aside.

"You have to find him, Barton. I'm going to be down here clearing all of this stuff so I can't leave."

"We'll find him Cap, don't worry." He replied. Steve nodded appreciatively and headed back to the hallway to join Thor and Tony who had started clearing away ceiling debris.

Meanwhile…

Gunnar heard the explosion and the door to the berthing slammed shut. The fire protocol system failed and locked him in the large room alone.

He banged on the thick metal door. "Is anyone out there?" He yelled over and over. He didn't hear anything and immediately remembered that Steve was out there and now he couldn't get to him. He remembered that he left his com system back at the tower. He tried to break the door down but he wasn't strong enough to get it open and it remained sealed tight.

All he could do was sit and wait until someone found him, which left him a lot of time to wonder and worry.

Back to the others…

They had cleared part of the wreckage and rescued a couple people when Steve heard: "Well's isn't topside. I'll keep looking, there's a lot more ground to cover, don't start worrying yet."

Steve started clearing at a faster rate while still trying to stay as calm as possible.

"There's a beam down that's blocking the rest of the hallway. If we can get that out then we should be able to evacuate whoever's back there. But, we have to be careful." Tony said.

The three of them slowly moved the heavy beam and laid it across the ground. Then they moved the surrounding debris and clouds of smoke poured out. 3 coughing lab assistants walked out slowly. They picked 2 more off the ground and carried them to Dr. Banner on the flight deck.

"Was he back there?" Agent Barton asked over the com.

"No. He wasn't. But he still could be. I'm going back down." Steve said to Barton as he headed back down. "I'm going to go down further and make sure nobody else is down there."

"I'll check all the surrounding rooms. Thor, can you come with me?" Clint asked. Thor nodded.

In the berthing…

Gunnar could here noises coming from up above and then a slow trickle of smoke came in through one of the vents in the room.

"That's great…" He said to himself. He started banging on the door again but nobody came.

He sat back down on the lowest bunk and continued to wait it out. He was worried about Steve. He didn't know if the explosion had reached him or not.

Meanwhile…

Thor and Clint started clearing out the rooms attached to the lab section and still didn't see Gunnar but found a couple more stranded agents.

"Cap said he was last seen heading down to the berthing area. They're right below the lab. We haven't checked down there yet." Thor said.

"The stairs leading down are blocked." He replied.

"Let's go see if we can get down there. It's really the only place left to look." Thor stated.

"Hey Cap, we're heading down to the stairs to see if he's on the lower level."

"Roger that." He answered.

In the berthing…

After 30 minutes the smoke was starting to get heavy. He transformed into a dog and got as low to the ground as possible. He was trying to stay as alert as possible because he knew someone was bound to find him. The noises got closer and he mustered up all of his strength and started barking as loud as he could.

Outside in the hallway…

They headed down to towards the stairs and cleared a path slowly. After 30 minutes of clearing everything out of the way they finally made it down to the hallway and heard barking. It was smoky and Clint covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. He already had a pair of goggles on. (He was wearing a long sleeved suit because of the cold weather and wasn't planning on using his bow for this particular assignment.)

"This one!" Clint pointed to a door and Thor used his Asgardian strength to pry it open.

The smoke rushed out and Clint ran into the room trying to find Gunnar he finally spotted him laying on the floor.

"Well's!" He yelled. "Come here buddy."

Gunnar got up slowly and Clint leaned down and held on to him. He could hear his breathing had become slightly shallow and whiney so he picked him up and carried him out of the room and up the stairs. Gunnar laid his head on Clint's shoulder and let him help.

"We got him Captain." Thor said on his com. "He's perfectly fine. We need to have Dr. Banner look him over but he's not hurt."

Steve sighed in relief and went back up topside to meet the rest of the team. As soon as he saw them he ran over to where they were.

"Gunnar, I'm so glad you're safe!" He leaned down and pet Gunnar who was sitting next Clint who we're both getting checked over. "I'm starting to think you enjoy scaring me…" He laughed.

He stayed close to Gunnar when they went back down after the smoke had cleared out to finish cleaning up major debris on the carrier. Everyone was accounted for and another crew came to relieve them and Coulson let them go back to the tower. They were dirty and tired from the long day and night.

Coulson pulled Steve aside before they left and said "we still need to talk about what happened. I'll head over to the tower after Christmas and the three of us can discuss what happened."

"Yes sir." He replied.

Gunnar transformed back to human when they rode the quinjet back to the tower. He laid on the empty row of seats and fell asleep. When he woke up they had arrived back on top of the tower. Everyone got up to leave and Gunnar jumped up.

"Thanks Clint, I'm really glad someone found me." He said.

"I think you just stayed in there to get out of doing all the heavy lifting." Clint joked and Gunnar smiled. "See ya inside?" He asked. Gunnar nodded.

"I need to thank you too Thor. Thanks for breaking down the door." He said.

"You're welcome brother of Asgard." He boomed with delight.

Gunnar walked into the main living room of the tower and went back to his room to get all the grime off of his body. It was relaxing to stand under the hot water and he dropped his shoulders, letting the heat pound on his upper back and neck.

After all the events that happened that day, he was ready to get some sleep. But after seeing his team members not giving up the search to find him, he knew that they had his back.

Now he just had to prove he had theirs.

In the living room…

"I swear that kid is going to give my grey hair." Steve commented. Bruce, Tony, Clint and Steve were clean and relaxing on the couches in the living room. Clint snickered quietly.

"Well it would be fitting of your age, gramps." Tony remarked.

"Funny…" He replied sarcastically.

"There's the mongrel!" Tony said almost shouting. Gunnar came strolling out of the hall in dog form and flopped up on the couch in between Clint and Steve. He rubbed his nose across Steve's hand indicating that he wanted to be petted.

He snuggled up in the space between the two guys and started getting sleepy so he put his head down and shut his eyes. Natasha walked out and saw the guys talking in low voices. She gracefully sat down on the other couch next to Bruce and their conversation continued a while longer.

When it was time to turn in for the night Clint and Steve walked down the hall and Gunnar followed Clint into his room. Steve saw this and his ego was slightly bruised.

"Traitor!" Steve joked half heartedly.

Gunnar jumped up on Clint's bed before he had a chance to get in it.

"As much as I would love you in my bed…" Clint said with great sarcasm. "I think Cap needs his buddy."

Gunnar whined pathetically.

"I know you're happy I found you back at the helicarrier, but you said thanks already. That's enough, trust me." He commented.

Gunnar stayed put. He was going to make sure everyone knew he was there for them.

"Alright, but stay on the other side. You start spooning me and you're getting kicked out." He barked in response.

Clint shut off the light and Gunnar moved over to make room for him. "Night kid."


	26. Chapter 26

NOTE: I'm sorry for taking forever to update. I hit a writer's block of sorts and didn't like any of my ideas. Then I had a bunch of homework to do. I also saw Captain America 2 and instead of inspiring me, it just made me feel like my story was a bit inaccurate. So I'm going to go back through to edit and change some details. Aside from my excuses, today's chapter is going to give more details about Gunnar and his relationship with Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. Hope everyone likes it!

NEW YEARS EVE:

The Avengers decided to throw a holiday party in the executive suit below the gym that Tony used for special occasions. Col. Rhodes, Pepper, Jane, Phil and other close friends of the Avengers were invited to join them.

The party was in full swing and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves when Steve noticed his partner was standing out on the balcony with a drink alone. He took it upon himself to go check on him. He quietly opened the glass door to the balcony and walked over to him.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Just enjoying the view." He smiled.

"Well don't get to cold, it's suppose to snow tonight." He noted.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"I'm all good Cap. Just taking a break, I promise. I'll finish my drink and come back in." Gunnar replied.

"Alright, well I don't want to you to miss out on the festivities. Come join Bruce and me, when you're ready." He said before walking back inside.

Later…

It was now early morning and officially New Year's Day. Most of the guests had left and the residents of the tower plus a couple extra were lounging about the couches in the corner of the suite. Thor left with to go upstairs to bed with Jane, Gunnar was sprawled out across one of the chairs by himself, Tony and Pepper were cuddled up on a loveseat, while Natasha was sitting next to Clint who had an arm draped around her on one end of the long couch and Steve was stretched out on the other side. Bruce and Phil were sitting on the two ottomans.

"Remember what happened on January 1st, 1994, Gunnar?" Coulson asked.

"The day you found me. Although, being 2, I don't quite remember." He replied.

"You weren't much bigger than a football in dog form. We got a strange energy alert in Washington State from our radar systems, and we had to check it out. Now we know it's the Bifrost. It was raining and you were completely soaked and alone. That's when we decided to bring you back and try to find where you came from and ended up getting custody of you. You kept transitioning because you didn't have much control, but when you calmed down on the ride back to base you finally stayed as a dog for the rest of the day. You were one of the first long term and high profile cases I got to be in charge of. I was so proud of myself. We were the hot gossip for months. Now here we are, 20 years later." Coulson reminisced, and the others listened intently.

"It's been quite the ride…" Gunnar remarked.

"I remember that day." Clint piped up.

"Really?" Gunnar asked.

"Yeah. I had just started working for S.H.I.E.L.D. I passed Coulson in the hall and he was carrying a puppy. All I saw was the back half of you because you had your head buried in his jacket. I thought it was pretty strange but then I heard the rumors of a kid that could shift between dog and human and made the connection." Clint answered.

"You never told me about that." Coulson said.

"I didn't think about it until you showed up here at the tower. It was a long time ago." He shrugged.

The conversation died down and then Phil started chuckling.

"You were just a trembling ball of fluff!" Phil laughed. "When you turned into a puppy, you were a handful and drove me crazy."

"I remember that part!" Gunnar laughed.

"You were smart though and caught on to training so quickly. I was lucky that way…" He said.

Gunnar looked down. He didn't like being the center of attention and Phil had been putting him in that position for the past few minutes.

Steve beamed with pride because an experienced agent thought his partner was smart. He was intrigued by their stories because other than reading his file, they didn't go down memory lane except for the couple times he talked about Lena and Ava. He liked hearing about the good times.

"Got any other stories?" Steve asked.

"Please tell me there's a few embarrassing ones…" Tony smirked.

"Well there is one." Phil said as he tried to contain a laugh.

"Please don't!" Gunnar whined.

"Tell us!" Steve and Tony demanded.

"They asked! At least its borderline embarrassing for me too." Phil answered.

Gunnar put his head down in his hands.

"Alright, this one time when Gunnar was 5, he was still having trouble comprehending the whole "naked after a transition" concept. Well, we were training in the gym at headquarters, getting ready to show Director Fury how far he had come. He was in dog mode while we were training, and then I turned my back for one second to get water and he disappeared. I looked all over and finally Fury walked up to me holding Gunnar's hand, who was completely naked. All he said was: "Did you lose something, Agent?" I just said "yes sir." and took you back to get you covered up. I heard from other agents that Gunnar ran around the whole floor completely nude and went to into his office to show him new moves!" Coulson cracked up.

The whole team was laughing at this point except for Gunnar whose face was now a dark shade of red.

"Aww it's okay. Tony here probably has embarrassing naked stories as an adult." Natasha smirked.

"…So Fury saw you naked!" Tony laughed.

"I was five!" Gunnar rebutted.

"That's priceless." Bruce laughed.

"I can't believe I didn't get in trouble!" Coulson said.

"Steve, a little help here? Tell them it's not a big deal for a child to streak!" He asked.

"Sorry bud, I think it's hilarious!" Steve laughed.

"What I would give to go back and see the look on Fury's face." Clint smiled.

"I'm going to bed!" Gunnar stood up.

"Come on, don't be a spoil sport…" Clint said.

"I don't need to sit here and take this abuse." Gunnar said jokingly. "If Coulson keeps talking, I'm going to need another drink…"

"It's only because you're my favorite!" Phil replied.

Gunnar smiled and sat back down. He was glad to be spending the holidays with a great group of friends, but it couldn't quite fill the emptiness in his heart. He didn't know if it would ever go away completely.


	27. Chapter 27

NOTE: Well I didn't get reviews last chapter. Oh well. But, here is the last section! I've been ridiculously busy in school so I'm sorry for those who have been patiently waiting. I hope everyone likes it. Don't be shy this time! I always look forward to seeing what people think.

3 DAYS LATER:

While Gunnar was waiting for an assignment, he had locked himself in one of the labs looking at S.H.I.E.L.D. files trying to unlock answers to his past. He had gone down this road before, but he was hoping to find something that he had missed. When he was younger he always had a curiosity about where he came from. Now that he knew he was half Asgardian, it just seemed to bring up more questions than answers. He would never stop looking for the truth.

It was also a way to avoid confrontation now that the holidays were over and Coulson was still planning on talking to him about his previous behavior on the helicarrier. He knew he had no excuse attacking another agent. He couldn't blame it on anything or anyone but himself.

It was almost midnight when Bruce quietly walked into the lab where Gunnar had files up on every screen in a 360 degree view.

"You've been down here for a while. You missed dinner, but I saved you some leftovers." He started saying and then handed Well's a plate covered in saran wrap and a fork.

Gunnar looked at the time and then took the plate from Bruce. "Oh wow. I didn't notice how late it is. Thanks for bringing it down here." He said and placed the food next on the desk.

"What have you been working on so intently?" Bruce asked.

"Just going over my file for the 100th time… trying to see if I over looked anything. I'm trying to find out what happened to my mother." He answered. "I did find one thing so far. I found a few documents that could be something but they are encrypted. It might take a while to get them open. I'm smart but I'm not that smart. " Gunnar said with a hint of frustration.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Bruce said in return.

"I hope so." Gunnar said. "I guess I should go to bed soon. I need to get back on my regular schedule." He said as he started eating.

"Steve probably has been missing his gym buddy." Bruce added.

"Of course…" Gunnar laughed.

Gunnar grabbed the external hard drive nonchalantly and put it in his pocket. He wanted to make sure he had copies of everything he was trying to decode.

THE NEXT EVENING:

Coulson appeared through the doors of the elevator and wandered quietly looking for Steve. He found him sitting in the kitchen eating and reading intently.

"Captain." Coulson said.

"Sir. What brings you to the tower?" Steve asked cautiously. "Is is about the training incident on the helicarrier?"

"Yes it is. The three of us need to speak in private." He answered.

"Let me go get him. We can talk in the meeting room next to the library upstairs. That'll work right?" He asked.

Coulson nodded and when he left, he texted Clint to stand outside the room in case he needed backup.

When they were all sitting around the conference room, Gunnar broke the silence.

"What's my punishment?" Wells asked.

"You aren't getting punished. But… we need Cap and Widow in Washington DC at the start of next week."

"Why can't I go? I'm his partner." Gunnar said trying to stay calm.

"You are to stay here at the tower with the rest of the group. We need you here."

"That's bullshit Coulson! This was your big idea. Now after we finally have a good thing going, now you're going to split us up? After all that work?" He slammed a fist on the table in front of him.

"Gunnar. Calm down." Steve said in a warning voice.

"It's just temporary right?" Steve asked looking at Phil.

"It's indefinite. We don't know at this point." Coulson answered.

"No. This isn't happening. I refuse to stay here." Gunnar said almost yelling.

"Don't make me do this the hard way." Phil stated.

"You're punishing me. You're just doing this because I screwed up. Don't jeopardize his safety and everyone else's. You have seen how much stronger we are together. Romanoff doesn't even care about him! She only cares about herself." Gunnar spat and stood up.

Seeing as the situation was getting a bit hostile, Steve stood up behind him ready for whatever was going to happen next.

"Agent Wells, you need to calm yourself and sit down." Coulson said with a warning.

"Yeah? What's going to happen? What are you going to do?" Gunnar lunged forward and Steve caught his shoulder.

"Gunnar, stop!" He said and shoved him up against the nearest wall.

"What is with you! You're already in trouble. Don't make it worse." Steve angrily whispered to him even though Coulson could clearly hear him.

"He's my problem! He goes around acting like he saved me but all he's ever done is take things I care about away from me. Ava, Lena, now you!" Gunnar yelled.

"Buddy, listen to me. It's just an assignment. Everything is still okay." Steve said calmly.

"Wells, I'm not trying to break you up for malicious reasons. We need Captain and Romanoff." He added.

"Don't give him anymore reason to split us up!" Steve tried to reason.

He had finally cracked. The small outlets he had let Steve see throughout the last few months were just a series of small events that were leading up to one big explosion.

Coulson pulled out the electronic arm band that Gunnar was wearing when he first arrived at the tower. He had no intentions of using it but before he could simply threaten Gunnar with it, Gunnar saw it as a sign that he wasn't going to give him a chance and immediately went into defense.

Gunnar stood still and a wave of protectiveness came over him. This was his partner and he wasn't going to let anyone take him away from him. The uncontrolled anger brought out his "dog emotions" and he was about to become out of control.

Gunnar pushed Steve off of him and went into dog form. He stood between Coulson and Steve and growled so intensely, spit was dripping down from his mouth.

Steve was starting to wonder how the situation had gotten so out of hand.

"Agent Barton!" Coulson yelled.

"Sir." He said as he rushed in.

"Agent Well's isn't complying." He answered.

Gunnar remained in the defensive stance in front of Steve. Steve couldn't help but be a little glad that he was so fiercely loyal but wished he wasn't so stubborn during this time.

Clint stood near Coulson with his hand on his sedative gun. He was watching Gunnar's every move ready to take him down.

Gunnar looked up and Steve's pleading eyes and then back at Coulson. He flinched slightly and the trained assassin instinctively took the shot.

"Gunnar!" Steve yelled.

"Damnit Well's, why did you make me do that!" Barton cursed loudly.

Wells crumpled to the ground but he was still awake. Steve sunk down and pulled the dog's front half into his lap.

"Hey bud… its okay." He said petting him as Gunnar whined.

The darkness pulled him under and slipped into unconsciousness.

10 Hours later…

When he woke up he was in the infirmary in human form. He was also strapped down in restraints. His head felt like someone had used it as a punching bag and he was sweating.

He called out for Steve multiple times and he heard footsteps a few moments later. A hand gently touched his forehead and he looked up but it was Bruce with Tony a few feet behind him.

"I'll get Steve." Tony said seriously without any extra smart remarks.

Bruce nodded and then turned his attention back towards Gunnar.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"My head hurts and I'm starting to get nauseous." He said sounding slightly winded.

"I heard what happened. Clint feels bad for having to sedate you. It's not easy doing that to teammates." He said as he undid the restraints. "Here's some water." He handed him a small cup filled halfway.

Steve walked in and stood next to Dr. Banner. "I'll be next door if you need anything." Bruce said and walked out leaving the partners to be.

"That was stupid and irresponsible." Steve stated. "I told you it would make the situation worse and look where you ended up."

"I know." He answered.

"The team will be here for you. I convinced Coulson to let you stay here. He was ready to throw you back on the helicarrier and let Fury deal with you. I'm going to try to be back as soon as possible. I promise." He lectured.

"I'm going to miss you." Gunnar said trying to remain manly.

"Me too. Stay safe, okay?" Steve said with a smile.

"I thought you didn't have to leave until next week?" He asked.

"Plans changed. I was ordered to leave after I tied up loose strings. I have my bags packed. I was just waiting on you to say goodbye." He replied.

"Oh." He said looking down.

"Take care of everyone here. Make sure Tony doesn't get into too much trouble." He laughed.

"I will. I promise." Gunnar said.

"Bye Spangles." He said after a few moments.

"Bye Cap." Gunnar said with a sad smile.

A WEEK LATER:

Gunnar was in dog mode and sleeping on Steve's bed thinking about what his partner was up to. Meanwhile, Steve was unpacking his bag at his new apartment in Washington DC, when Gunnar's tennis ball rolled out of one of the pockets. He picked it up and put it on his nightstand thinking about how his partner was probably looking for it.

NOTE: So that was the end of this story but not the end of Gunnar Wells. Next project is going be editing this story, and rewrite of Captain America: TWS with Gunnar added in on some parts. It's going to be awesome and I'll probably have a beta for that one to make it even better. There will also be a few one shots of Cap and Gunnar. Thanks for going on this adventure with me and I'm so happy with how many people liked it. Thank you for all of the reviews and support.


	28. AN

Sorry this is just a Authors note! But don't worry, because I just posted the first chapter of a series of one shots about Gunnar and the rest of the Avengers. It should be pretty good! If you would like to read more then head that way. Thank you for the continued support and I hope you enjoy it.


	29. Chapter 29

Dear followers! I have uploaded the second story in this series. So if you want to read it, go for it! I will be updating a couple times a week since I have completed writing it. Thank you so much!


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